I
*
'^^^ppl^^pl^'. '
THE
HEAVENLY TOIEtf:
(gift oh for Christians,
BT
DAVTD ADDI8OW HARSHA.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND.:
ASIIEK & ADAMS, PUBLISHERS.
NO. 3 ODDFELLOWS HALL.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in tbe year 1S56,
BY DAYTON AND BTODICK,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court cf the United States, for the
Southern District of New York.
on % lofce of Cljmt.
ACE.
THIS work is not designed as a systematic treatise, out
as an humble essay on the great, the inexhaustible sub-
ject of the love of Christ, as manifested to a lost world.
It was composed during a long period of recovery from
a chronic disease, which brought the author to the gates
of death, and well nigh terminated his life.
In the present essay the author has endeavored to
notice a few ways in which Christ has manifested his
great love to sinners.
His object in writing this work is to do good; and
should this volume be the means of leading any sinner to
the blessed Jesus, or of kindling a single spark of divine
lore in his bosom, or even of refreshing the soul of any
saint of animating him on his way to glory he will feel
amply rewarded for the toil of writing it, when in a stato
of much pnysical inability ; and most gratefully would ho
ascribe all the praise and glory to God. He can bless the
feeblest instrument; and, without his blessing, all our
labors for good must be futile.
While the author would endeavor to lead others to tho
6 PREPACK.
Lamb of God, to the bleeding Saviour, mcst humbly
would he himself glory in the cross of Christ "God
forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me,
and I unto the world ;" and ever does he hope to pro-
claim the love and set forth the praise of that blessed
Redeemer, who left the regions of glory to live and die
for sinners.
"Jesus I my Shepherd, Husband, Friend;
My Prophet, Priest, and King;
My Lord, my life, my way, my end,
Accept the praise I bring.
" Weak is the effort of my heart,
And cold my warmest thought;
But when I eee thee as thou art,
I'll praise thee as I ought.
** Till then I would thy love proclaim,
With ev'ry fleeting breath ;
And may the music of thy nanv
Refresh my soul in death.
AROYLE, N. Y., Nov., 185<k
CONTENTS.
&&e 3lobc of (Efcrfst.
CHAPTER L
Introductory Essay. 11
CHAPTER II.
The Love of Christ in coining into the "World to sa^e
Sinners 19
CHAPTER III.
The Love of Christ as manifested in His Sufferings and
Death 82
CHAPTER IV.
The Love of Christ contemplated 58
CHARTER V.
The Love of Christ in the bestowment of Grace and the
gift of His Word; and in the Institution of Divine
Ordinances 63
CHAPTER VI.
The Love of Christ ii Affliction. , 75
8 CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VII.
The Love of Christ as manifested to His People in the PAGE
Hour of Death 87
CHAPTER VIIL
The Love of Christ in the Hour of Death, continued.
The Cloud of Witnesses. 9b
CHAPTER IX.
The Happy Home in View 128
CHAPTER X.
The Happy Home contemplated ; being with Christ in
Glory 141
CHAPTER XL
The Happy Home contemplated. The Blessedness of
the Saints. 15k
Cftrist, nnti jttjim (gvttcffUo.
CHAPTER L
The Excellency of the Subject 177
CHAPTER II.
The Person of Christ U
CHAPTER IIL
The Glory of Christ , 229
CHAPTER IV.
Christ Crucified. . 222
CONTENTS. 9
CHAPTER V.
Christ Crucified -continued ......... , . . 243
CHAPTER VL
Redemption by Christ t 257
CHAPTER VIL
The New Song in Glory. 272
CHAPTER VIII.
Christ, and Him Crucified, the Sum and Substance of
the Gospel 282
CHAPTER IX.
Christ and Him Crucified, the only Hope of the Sinner. 294
CHAPTER X.
The Cross of Christ, the Glory of the Christian 809
Conclusion Solemn Appeal to the Reader. 880
of a
CHAPTER I.
This World a Wilderness, and the Christian a Pilgrim. 889
CHAPTER II.
Commencement of the Christian's Journey Difficulties
in the Way Sfil
CHAPTER IIL
Encouragements Provision by the Way 862
CHAPTER IV.
The Christian Pilgrim inthe Valley of Baca 872
10 CONTENTS.
turn
CHAPTER V.
The Christian on Pisgah's Mount , ....... .. 879
CHAPTER VI.
The Posture of the Christian Pilgrim in coming up
from the "Wilderness of this World 885
CHAPTER VIL
Passage over the Jordan of Death 896
fimmanuel's SLanti.
CHAPTER L
The Place 417
CHAPTER II.
The Blessednesa. 484
CHAPTER IIL
The Joy 447
CHAPTER IV.
The lory. 456
CHAPTER V.
The Rest. 462
CHAPTER VL
The Employment 468
CHAPTER VIL
The Society 476
CHAPTER VIII.
Tha Perpetuity of Bliss 484
Conclusion Heavenly Meditation 487
THOUGHTS
ON
ft fce loh 0f
CHAPTER I.
I
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
GOD designed from eternity to create this
world, and people it with intelligent beings.
This design was put into execution in the
beginning of time. "In the beginning, God
created the heavens and the earth."* He
spake, and this earth, with all its multifarious
occupants, started into being. It required noth-
ing but his almighty fiat to usher a world and
its inhabitants into existence. Man was created
in the image of God : hence he was a holy and
a happy being. Uncontaminated by moral pol-
lution, his seal was one of purity, holiness and
* Gen. i. 1.
12 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
happiness. He was lord of this lower creation,
enjoying the smiles of his beneficent Creator,
and the delight of the terrestrial paradise.
Primeval beauty mantled all sublunary objects.
Paradise bloomed with its richest productions ;
and all was peace and harmony between man
and his Creator. At length man disobeyed the
divine command sinned against God, and fell
from his original blessedness, by eating the for-
bidden fruit,
M Whose mortal taste
Brought death into the world, and all onr woe "
'By one man sin entered into the world, and
death by sin ; and so death passed upon all
men, for that all have sinned." *
When we contrast man's present deplorable
condition, with his pristine state of innocence,
we may well exclaim with the Prophet, " How
is the gold become dim! how is the most fine
gold changed I"f " The crown is fallen from
our head : woe unto us that we have sinned."^:
By his fall, man lost all communion with
God, and became exposed to the miseries of
this life, to death itself, and to the wrath of God
through eternity. From this sinful and lost
condition he could not extricate himself, he
* Bra. v 12. -f Lam. iv. 1 i Lam. v. 16-
INTRODUCTOKY ESSAY.
13
could not redeem himself, nor pay unto God a
sufficient ransom for his manifold transgressions.
A broken law was to be fulfilled, the justice, of
God to be satisfied, and a complete atonement
to be made for the sins of men, or else God and
the sinner could never be reconciled.
Punishment, everlasting punishment and de-
struction from the presence of the Lord, and
from the glory of his power, awaited all man-
kind in the world of just retribution. All was
forlorn ; all was hopeless, forever hopeless with
regard to man's redemption, had not God inter-
posed on our behalf; to give unto us an ex-
pected end. It was the grand design of God,
from all eternity, to exhibit a magnificent plan
of salvation to a lost world.
And everlasting praise and thanksgiving be
unto his most blessed name, that the glad tidings
of this unspeakably precious salvation have
reached our ears.
When there was no eye to pity sinners, nor
arm to save them, God's eye pitied, and his arm
alone brought salvation to them. In infinite
love to lost and perishing sinners, he said, " De-
liver from going down to the pit; I havo
found a ransom."* To every redeemed sinner,
God says, "When I passed by thee, and saw
* Job. sxxiii 24.
14: INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto
thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live ; yea, I
said unto thee when, thou wast in thy blood,
live. When I passed by thee and looked upon
"thee, behold thy time was the time of love ; and
I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy
nakedness : yea, I sware unto thee, and entered
into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God,
and thou becamest mine.' 1 * God did not leave
all mankind to perish in their fallen, miserable
and polluted condition. No I his love saved
them ; his wisdom devised a way by which we,
polluted sinners, might be raised from the
horrible pit into which our iniquities had con-
signed us.
" When in our blood we lay,
He would not let us die ;
Because his love had fixed a day,
To bring salvation nigh."
The glorious plan of man's salvation origin-
ated in the infinite love of God the Father ; and
in this divine plan of redemption, the most
marvellous exhibition of the love of God to
hell-deserving sinners is clearly seen. Here is
love, the love of God : such love as could never
have been conceived of, had it not been so
amplj revealed and manifested in the gift of
* Ez. xvi. 6-8.
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 15
his only begotten Son. " For God so loved the
world (even a world of lost sinners) that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever be-
tieveth in him should not perish, but have ever-
ing life. 5 '* "God is love," and our salvation is
from the God of love, and is a salvation planned
and executed in deep unfathomable love. " In
this was manifested the love of God toward us,
because that God sent his only begotten Son
into the world, that we might live through him.
Herein is love; not that we loved God, but
that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the pro-
pitiation for our skis."f
When we contemplate the greatness of God's
love to sinners, we are compelled to pause, and
exclaim with the admiring apostle, "Behold
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed
upon us, that we should be called the sons of
Oh 1 the riches of divine grace 1 Oh ! the
depths of divine love. How vast, how glorious,
and how adequate to the wants of perishing
sinners, is the plan of mercy of love of salva-
tion, which God has devised to save a lost world !
It manifests the wisdom, the justice, the power
but, above all, the love of God.
* John ii'. 16. . f 1 John v. 9, 10
1 John iii. 1.
16 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
" Salvation 1 what a glorious plan ;
How suited to our need 1
The grace that raises fallen man
Is wonderful indeed !
" Twas wisdom formed the vast design,
To ransom us when lost ;
And love's unfathomable mine
Provided all the cost.
"Truth, Wisdom, Justice, Power and Love,
In all their glory shone,
When Jesus left the courts above,
And died to save his own,"
God has chosen a portion of the human family
to be the monuments of his free grace trophies
of his redeeming love ; and for them he has sent
his own Son to suffer and die.
In the profound depths of infinite love, the
mercy of God to a lost world had its egress.
Unsolicited and undeserved, it was nevertheless
extended to lost sinners: sinners, guilty and
polluted, are the objects upon which the mercy
and love of God are profusely bestowed.
Love is God's darling attribute, which he de-
lights to manifest most illustriously ; for God is
love.* And he has most singularly displayed
all his love to sinful man, in the contrivance of
his salvation.
* 1 John iv 8.
INTRODUCTOKY ESSAY.
17
Oh I how immeasurably great was that love
which saved a world from ruin, and raised mil-
lions of Adam's sons and daughters from eternal
death and woe, to everlasting life and felicity !
Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
The promise of a Great Deliverer, who should
emancipate captivated man from the thraldom
of sin and death, and accomplish his salvation,
was early conveyed to our first parents. Before
their expulsion from Paradise, when all seemed
lost, a gleam of hope shone around them. f It
was promised that the seed of the woman should
bruise the head of the serpent ; that the works
of the devil should be destroyed. For this pur-
pose, the Son of God was to be manifested in the
flesh.* To the patriarchs the same promise was
more amply conveyed. Abraham got a glimpse
:>f the day of Christ, and was glad. Dying
Jacob spoke of the coming of a Saviour. " The
sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a law-
giver from between his feet, until Shiloh come."f
Moses said to the children of Israel, " The Lord
thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from
the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me :
unto him ye shall hearken.";);
Isaiah, wrapped in prophetic vision, eloquently
describes the advent and characteristics of the
1 John i . 8.
2
f Gen. xlix. 10. { Deut. xviii. 15
18 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
promised Messiah. " Unto us a child is horn :
anto us a son is given, and the government shall
be upon his shoulder ; and his name shall be
called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God,
The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."*
" Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a
son, and shall call his name Immanuel. : 'f A1J
the prophets spoke of Him who was to come
into the world to accomplish our salvation ; " for
the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecv.":f
As the time approached, the promises of a divine
Saviour were multiplied. " But when the ful-
ness of time was come, God sent forth his Son v
made of a woman, made under the law, to
redeem them that were under the law, that we
might receive the adoption of sons.' ?
Love was the grand principle which prompted
the blessed God to give his Son to diu for sin-
ners ; and love was the impelling motive that
brought Immanuel from his throne, to this
fallen world, in order to save the lost. How
great, how sublime was that scheme of his to
save a perishing world! How vast was that
love which enabled him ta execute this plan !
* is. ix. 6. f Is. vii. 14
J. Rev. xU H Gal. iv. 4, 6.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 10
CHAPTER II.
THK LOVE, OF CHRIST IN COMING INTO THE WOELD
TO SAVE SINNERS.
"Tliis is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."
1 Tim. xi. 15.
THE gospel, as the name signifies, denotes glad
tidings. This blessed gospel is sent to us : 'to
you, reader, are these glad tidings conveyed.
" That Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners," is the best news that ever fell on the
ears of a dying world. Life and immortality
are brought to light through this gospel of the
grace of God.
Let us now contemplate the glorious charac-
ter of our blessed Kedeemer, and the love which
he has manifested in coming into the world to
save sinners.
1. In the person of Christ, the human and
divine natures are united. His divinity is
clearly asserted in the Scriptures. The Re-
deemer of lost sinners is the eternal Son of God
equal witli the Father, the Creator of the
universe, the upholder of all things. Indued
20 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
with supreme power, he reigns universal Lord.
All power is given to him, in heaven and earth.
A.11 worlds are his. All kingdoms are his do-
main. He made all things. At his command,
worlds started into being. By his power all
created matter is upheld in existence. He has
caused the sun to shine with undiminished
splendor on our globe for nearly six thousand
years. It is he " that spreadeth out the heavens,
and treadeth upon the waves of the sea ; that
maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the
chambers of the south."*
Open the blessed volume, and read the fun-
damental doctrine of Christianity, that Christ,
he redeemer of sinners, is God. "In the be-
ginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. All things were
made by him; and without him was not any
thing made, that was made."f It is a matter of
great consolation for the believer who has in-
trusted his immortal concerns in the hands of
his blessed Redeemer, to know that he is God
over all, blessed forever. Let him ever bear in
rnind that the Saviour, who loves him, is the
only begotten Son of God, and bears his very
image. He is the brightness of his Father's
glory, and the express image of his person. Ho
* Job ix. 8 9 f John i. 1. 8.
THE L O V & OF CHRIST. 21
is clothed with divine majesty, and possesses all
divine perfections, and infinite excellences. He
is equal with God in all his glorious perfec-
tions.
He is called " the Lord of Glory," the " King
of glory," "the mighty God," "Jehovah;" and
in the Revelation he is described as having
on his vesture, and on his thigh a name writ-
ten, "King of kings, and Lord of lords."*
Again, it is said of him that he " is the image
of the invisible God, the first-born of every
creature: for by him were all things created
that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible
and invisible ; whether they be thrones or do-
minions, or principalities, or powers. All things
were created with him and for him : and he is
before all things, and by him all things consist ;
and he is the head of the body, the church, who
is the beginning, the first-born from the dead ;
that in all things he might have the pre-emi-
nence. For it pleased the Father, that in him
should all fuilness dwell."f
There is a transcendant loveliness in the per-
son of Christ. He is "fairer than the children
of men:" "the chiefest among ten thousand;
yea, he is altogether lovely." What glorious
and lovely attractions centre in Immanuel
* Rev. XIT ifi. f Col. * 16-19.
22 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
Such is the character of Him who came into
our sin-polluted world, to shed on Calvary
his precious blood for the redemption of his
people.
2. Christ came into the world by being mani-
fested in the flesh, yet he lost nothing of his
essential glory and dominion. He was as truly
"the brightness of his Father's glory," and the
owner of the universe, when in the manger, and
on the cross, as he is now at the right hand of
God : " Even the son of man who is in heaven."
Yet out of love to sinners, he chose to suffer
that glory to be veiled in humanity, and him-
self to be made under the law to redeem his
people. What amazing love is seen here. " The
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us."*
"God was manifest in the flesh."f Christ Jesus
was in the form of God, and thought it not rob-
bery to be equal with God ; but he " made
himself of no reputation, and took upon him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men.'':): The advent of Christ was the signal
of peace on earth. His incarnation was an
event of great joy to the world. To the shep-
herds of Bethlehem, the glad tidings of his birth
were conveyed by an angel of the Lord. To
them he proclaim 3d : " Behold I bring you
* John i. 14. f 1 Tim. iii. 16. \ Phil. ii. 7
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 23
good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all
people. For unto you is born this day, in the
city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the
Lord,"* A new light then burst upon the
world. The glorious Sun of Righteousness,
emitting his resplendent rays upon kingdoms
and nations involved in moral darkness, arose
to enlighten, to gladden, and to bless our be
nighted planet. * The prince of peace made his
appearance. The messenger of reconciliation
came, to reconcile alienated man to the friend-
ship of his offended Creator, and fit him for the
mansions of glory. When such a momentous
event had occurred, when the eternal Son of
God had invested himself with humanity, and
become bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh ;
well might the song of the heavenly host re-
sound among the hills of Judea, proclaiming,
" Glory be to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will toward men." For unto us a
Saviour was born. And never was human na
ture so highly honored and exalted as when
Christ assumed it. What blessings are bestowed
upon fallen man, through the incarnation of the
Son of God ! Eternity alone can unfold them.
Christ came most willingly into the world to
do the will of nis heavenly Father His Vcrds
* Lukeli. 10, 11.
24
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
were " Lo, I come : in the voiume of the book
it is written of me; I delight to do thy will,
my God."* Christ offered himself a willing
victim upon the altar of divine wrath. He came
into the world. But oh ! wonderful condescen-
sion and boundless love, that Christ should come
into this sinful world. On the matchless con-
descension and kindness of Christ, as manifested
by his incarnation, a pious wrjterf has the fol-
lowing beautiful remarks : " Earthly princes
are only feeble worms ; their loftiest elevation
is a molehill, and their brightest splendor a vain
show. Yet iiow rarely do they descend from
their thrones, to visit and relieve those who lan-
guish in the abodes of poverty and wretched-
ness! In our low and lost estate Jesus Christ
not only saw and pitied us, but also hastened on
the wings of love to bring salvation. ' He was
eternally 'rich, yet for our sakes he became poor,
that we through his poverty might be made
rich.'
He was clothed wjth light, and surrounded
with hosts of happy, adoring spirits; yet he
submitted to put on our nature, and sojourn
among guilty, worthless mortals.
Herein is love! love without a parallel, love
that exceeds description, and passes knowledge I
* P& xL 7. 8
f The rn ton-
THE LOVE OF C HEIST 25
The incarnation of the only begotten Son of
God is a mystery of wisdom and love, in which
all our thoughts ought to be absorbed, and all
our hearts with it should be enraptured. The
wonders of the vast universe, could they be col-
lected and presented to us in one view, would
lose all their attraction and dwindle into insig-
nificance, were we stedfastiy to contemplate
the marvellous condescension of the Redeemer,
manifested in the humiliation to which he sub-
mitted on our account. When he exchanged
his throne for the manger of Bethlehem, the
shining host of heaven burst into that sublime
song, " Glory to God in the highest, on earth
peace, and good will to men." Here is con-
descension which we could not have believed
possible, had it not been so clearly and amply
revealed. The kindness and love of God our
Saviour towards man, appeared with pre-emi-
nent lustre in the whole of that great work
which he undertook to perform for their salva-
tion. How ardent was that love which brought
the ever blessed Son of God from heaven to
earth, that he might save sinners. What but
infinite love could have induced him to come
into the world to be made sin for us to bear
our sins in his own body, that we might be
reconciled to God, and be brought at last into
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
the everlasting mansions of glciy. to be ever
with the Lord.
Jesus Christ is love itself embodied in a hu-
man form : that form onee appeared on our
earth, and trod the thorny pathway from the
manger to the cross, till it was seen to bleed,
and groan, and die, on Calvary, for sinners as
vile as we are. Reader ! have you an interest
in that great work which Christ, by coming into
the world, has finished ? Are you deeply in-
terested in his atonement, and righteousness?
Is his love shed abroad in your heart ? Is he
unspeakably precious to you? For, says the
Apostle, "unto you therefore which believe, he
is precious." Can you adopt the language of
the poet, and sweetly sing,
"Sweeter sounds than music knows,
Charm me in Immanuel's name:
All her hopes my spirit owes
To liis birth, and cross, and shame.
' When he came, the angels suns
'Glory be to God on high!'
Lord, unloose my etamm'ring tongue ;
Who shall louder sing than If" NEWTON.
By his coming into the world and accomplish-
ing our salvation, Christ has opened the gates
of the celestial city, through which redeemed
sinners may now pass into mansions of eternal
THE LOVE OF CHKIST. 27
bliss. O sinner, the gates of Paradise are now
wide open for your reception ; enter in and be
saved. The arms of Christ are now stretched
from heaven for your relief. Look up, then,
with confidence to your loving Saviour. He
now calls upon you from his eternal throne,
"Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends
of the earth ; for I am God, and there is none
else ; a just God, and a Saviour."* Sinner,
ha,ve you looked to Christ for salvation? In
him you will find an everlasting salvation.
Everlasting salvation 1 precious words I It is
the gift of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
In the incarnation of the Son of God, we behold
immeasurably great love manifested to sinners.
With love unparalleled, he descends to this
sinful world, and lives and dies for the redemp-
tion of his people. Love led him to forsake the
regions of glory, for this dark abode 'of sin and
suffering.
"Nothing brought him from above,
Nothing but redeeming love."
0, what love is here manifested to a guilty,
rebellious world! "Ye know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for
your sakes he became poor, that ye through his
poverty might be rich."
* Is. Xlv 21 22
28 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
But why did he thus veil his glory in numan.
ity, and come into this world? It was to save
sinners. " This is a faithful saying, and worthy
of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners."*
3. To save sinners was the very object for
which Messiah left his throne ; for which the
Son of God became incarnate. " I am not come
to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. "f
" The Son of man is come to seek and to save
that which was lost.":): When Christ veiled his
glory, and left the regions of bliss, it was to save
sinners. When he assumed mortal flesh, and
became a suffering man, it was to save sinners.
When he bled and died on the cross, it was to
save sinners. When he burst the fetters of death,
and in a glorified form ascended to heaven, it
was to save sinners; and now that he is set
down at the right hand of the throne of God. he
is still carrying on his blessed work of saving
smners.
It was infinite love that brought Christ into
the world to save sinners. What amazing love
is here displayed! In man's redemption th$
love of Christ shines with pre-eminent lustre,
In his love Christ came to save sinners, and
Tin. i. 15. f Mat ix IS.
t l/'-ke xix. 1C
THE LOVE OF CUBIST. 29
most willingly does he receive even the vilest
sinner that comes to him for salvation.
Have you yet fled for refuge to the world's
Eedeemer? There is but one refuge provided
,for a lost world : Christ is that refuge. He
shelters all that come to him. In him is eternal
safety. Happy are they, whose hopes are fixed
on him : they are safe ; though all around them
are changes and fluctuations, yet their rest is
pitched aloft, for above this sphere of changing
and perishing mortality. Onward and heaven-
ward will be their course, and glorious will be
their destiny ! When Christ shall appear, they
shall appear with him in glory.
Animated by the hope of immortality, look
with holy contempt upon the world arid all its
delusive pleasures. Let a joyful eternity be ever
in your view. Choose Christ as your Saviour
and portion, and heaven will be your home.
You will quickly glide over the tempestuous
sea of life, and land on
"the peaceful shore
Of blest eternity."
Come, O sinner ! come and intrust your salva-
tion to the blessed Jesus, who came to save sin
ner&. He will not cast you out. Hear his own
words- "H :r n that comot.li to nw I will in no
THE LOVE OF CHKTST.
wise cast out."* He has a willing ear to hear
your cry ; a willing heart to recoive you ; will-
ing arms to embrace you; almighty power to
save you. do not refuse the Lord of glory !
Do not contemn the gospel message of love.
Behold your loving Saviour I See what an
interest he has taken in your eternal welfare.
See him laying aside the robes of his glory for
you. See him, though high, becoming low;
though rich, becoming poor for you: and see
him coming into this world to save you. Attend
to his gracious calls. Seek him instantly. May
the sweet influences of Christ's redeeming love
constrain you to come and partake of the joys
of salvation. Salvation by Christ! Blessed
gospel ; well mayest thou be styled glad tidings
of great joy I
In a word, I beseech you, dear reader, as you
value the happiness of your immortal soul and
the bliss of eternity, tojnake sure of your salva
tion. "Behold, now is the accepted time; be
hold, now is the day of salvation." To-rnorrow
may be too late. To-morrow's sun may set upon
your grave. Now " Seek ye the Lord while he
may be found, call ye upon him while he is
near : let the wicked forsake his way, and the
unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him re-
Ti.87.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 31
torn unto the Lord, and lie will have mercy
upon him; and to our God, for he will abun
dantlv pardon."*
'Come, lepers, seize the present hour
The Saviour's grace to prove:
He can rcliev3, for he has pow'r
He will, fo* he u love."
32 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
CHAPTER III.
THE LOVS OH" CHRIST, AS MANIFESTED JN HIS SUFFER-
INGS AND DEATH.
M Greater love hath no man tiian this, that a man lay !own his life foT
nls friends." JOHN xv. 13.
"'Religion! thou the soul of happiness ;
And groaning Calvary, of theel Thrc shine
The noblest truths ; there strongest motives sting
There sacred violence assaults the soul ;
There nothing but compulsion is forborne.
Thou my all !
My theme ! my inspiration, and my crown 1
My strength in agel my rise in low estate!
My soul's ambition, pleasure, wealth; my world
My light in darkness, and rny life in dflul.h I
My boast through time! bliss through etern.ty 1
Eternity too short to speak thy praise,
Or fathom thy profound of love to man !
To man of men the meanest, e'en to me !
My sacrifice ! my God ! What things are these ?
Talk they of morals ? thou bleeding Love !
Thou maker of new morals to mankind !
The grand morality is love to thee !"
In the death of Christ, we behold the most
astonishing exhibition of divine love that has
ever been manifested to a lost \vcrld. Such
love as ie here displayed ; ? without a precedent
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 33
- without a parallel in the annals of time or in
the records of eternity. To behold the Son of
God, the Maker of worlds, bowing his head on the
cross, and yielding up his immaculate soul amid
the agonies of death, is the most wonderful, the
most affecting, the most melting sight that mor-
tals ever witnessed. Around the Cross of Christ
there shine the most resplendent rays of divine
love that ever beamed from the Sun of Eight-
eousness that ever emanated from the Deity.
Here then is the brightest display of love,
that Christ has manifested to a world of per-
ishing sinners. "Greater love hath no man
than this, that a man lay down his life for his
friends."* But, oh ! amazing love ! that Christ
breathed out his precious life, poured out his
holy soul unto death, for his enemies, for the
ungodly, for sinners. " For when we were yet
without strength, in due time Christ died for
the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man
will one die : yet peradventure for a good man
some would even dare to die. But God com-
mendeth his love toward us, in that while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us."f Christ
died to save sinners: without his death, their
salvation could not have been accomplished.
Without the shedding of blood, there is no re*
* John x% 1 f- f Rom. v. 6-8.
34: THELOVE OF CHRIST.
mission;* and without the shedding of Christ's
precious blood, not a single sinner could have
been saved. The salvation of countless millions
was suspended on the death of Christ ; but, in
love, he died to save them.
Here we may behold a little of the vastncss of
that love which cannot be measured, and which
cannot be told. The Saviours love met death
itself in the face, and triumphed over the grave.
O, my soul, look and wonder! Behold thy
Saviour breeding on the cross; bleeding from
every pore, that thy sins might be washed away
in the flowing stream! See him pouring out
his soul unto death, for thy salvation; and ask,
Is not this a manifestation of unparalleled love
to thee ?
0, blessed Jesus! we come far short of c^m-
prehending the greatness of thy dying love. It
is a great deep. It is a fathomless ocean. May
we contemplate more and more this mystery of
divine love !
Christ's suffering and dying for us is a great
mystery, a mystery of unfathomable love. How
vehement was the love of Christ, that led him to
endure death in its most terrible form, even the
death of the cross ! " Love is strong as death :
the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath
* Heb. iy. 29,
THE LOVE OF CHE 1ST. 35
a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot
quench love ; neither can the floo Is drown it."*
Such is the love of Christ. All the waters of
affliction and suffering; all the billows cf divine
wrath that rolled over our blessed Redeemer,
were not sufficient to quench the ardency of
that love which he felt for a dying world of sin-
ners. It will endure through time. It will
shine with nndiminished splendor, and glow
brighter and brighter through eternity.
Oh ! the infinite love of the Son of God, to
shed his precious blood for sinners. The love
of Christ, in dying for sinners, passeth all knowl-
edge. It is immeasurable. It is as incomprehen-
sible as the duration of eternity. It is as illimit-
able as boundless space. " It is as high as
heaven ; what canst thou do ? deeper than hell ;
what canst thou know ? The measure thereof
is longer than the earth, and broader than the
sea."f
love divine ! where are thy limits ? Great
God ! beyond the sight of mortals, and of an-
gels ? The stupendous sun, the brilliant moon,
the amazing stars, the extended firmament ;
these have their bounds, but that love has r one.
Lift up your eyes, and behold this vast world,
the product of his po\v er ! See its continents,
* Cant vL 6. 7. f Job xl 3, .
86
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
and its oceans extending for thousands of miles,
these continents may be measured ; but not his
love, who, though God, became man, to die for
man. Sooner would those unfathomable oceans
be fathomed, than the depths of his compassioa
Lift up your eyes to the heavens I Survey the
countless glories of the starry firmament ; all its
fixed or " moving worlds of light !" Let your
thoughts rove from star to star. How great is
he who formed them all ! How glorious he who
has bid them shine with undiminished splen-
dor through six thousand years, and to whom
they are mean as a speck of flying dust ! Yet
he who hung out those brilliant fires stooped
from his amazing height of bliss and majesty, to
assume mortal flesh, and appear a feeble infant
and a suffering man. Far sooner should you
measure their immeasurable distances, and count
their countless numbers, than tell all the vast-
ness of his love, and the blessings it bestows.
The sun is darkness compared with his superior
glory who hung it in the heavens ; and yet he
humbled himself to the dark abodes of misery
and death for guilty man.
! when you gaze upon the blue expanse, or
when the solemn stillness of night banishes from
your mind the thoughts of a vain, departing
world ; when you behold the midnight sky and
mark the thousands of its glowing fires; then
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 37
think that he who fixed them there once hung
on Calvary for you, that you might shine a
star, a sun, in heaven, when all those stars shall
shine no more. Think that he was once mean
and dishonored, stained with blood, and blue
with blows, that you might have a treasure
greater than a thousand worlds united, and in-
finitely more lasting than the countless lights
which illuminate the firmanent. Amazing
love I*
Here we must pause, and wonder, and praise,
and adore ; and in the' midst of our adoration,
exclaim, Lord ! what is man, that thou art
mindful of him ; and the son of man, that thou
shouldst thus visit him ? O blessed Jesus I thou
didst visit us in love in great mercy. Thou
didst bleed thy life's blood, that we might be
washed from our sins in that blood of infinite
virtue. Thou didst die, that we might live.
Thou didst wear a crown of thorns, that we
might wear a crown of glory, and shine as stars
in heaven forever.
0, to know more and more about the dying
love of the Lord Jesus ! The heart of Jesus is
nothing but a heart of love : love to sinners,
even the chief. It has been well remarked, that
" were all the love of all the men that ever were
Pike.
88 THE LOVE OF CHIIIST.
or shall be on the earth, and all the love- of ill
the angels in heaven, united in one hee,rtj it
would be a cold heart to that which was pierced
with the soldier's spear."* thou loving, bleed-
ing Lamb of God ! come, wash us in that blood
which flowed from thy wounded heart, from thy
pierced side ; which streamed from Calvary, 2
fountain of overflowing, inexhaustible depths of
redeeming blood. " In that day there shall be
a fountain opened to the house of David, and to
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for un-
cleanness."f Blessed be God ! that fountain
has been opened these eighteen hundred years,
and is as inexhaustible as ever.
" Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the
waters ; and he that hath no money, come ye,
buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk,
without money and without price.";): What
stupendous love has Christ here manifested, in
washing away the sins of a lost multitude in his
own most precious blood. Well may redeemed
sinners shout in songs of praise to their adorable
Redeemer, " Unto him that loved us, and wash-
ed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath
made us kings and priests unto God and hia
Father; unto him be glcry and dominion for
ever and ever Amen."
* Maclaunn. f Zecb. xii:. i. J Is. Iv. L
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 39
" Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and
honor, and glory, and blessing/
Oh ! the infinite efficacy of the blood of Christ
to cleanse from all sin. "The blood of Jesus
Christ cleanseth us from all sin."* Through
the blood of Christ, pardon and peace flow to
guilty sinners. "In whom we have redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, ac-
cording to the riches of his grace."f " Chnsc
died for our sins, according to the Scriptures." J
"Through this man is preached unto you the
forgiveness of sins." " He made peace through
the blood of his cross."|| Precious blood that
redeems us from eternal misery, and brings us
nigh to God ! " Now in Christ Jesus, ye who
sometime were for off, are made nigh by the
blood of Christ. "T Oh ! costly price of man's
redemption the precious blood of Christ. " Ye
know that ye were not redeemed with corrup-
tible things, as silver and gold ;* but with the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot."** " For ye are bought
with a rrice : therefore glorify God in your body
and in your spirit, which are G od's."ff 0, ray
1 John i. 7. % I Cor. XT 3. J Col. t ;o.
f Eph. i. 7 Acts aci\ 58. 1 Eph. .1 18
** 1 Peti. ], 19. * Cor vi. %.\
40 THE JLOVE OF CHRIST.
soul ! look witn astonishment at the price paid
for thy redemption the infinitely precious clood
of Christ.
Dc^r reader, look and live ! Look at the
blessed Jesus, bleeding and dying on the cross
for your sins. " As Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man
be lifted up ; that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have eternal life."*
' Upon the cross I see him bleed,
And by the sight from guilt am freed :
This sight destroys the life of sin,
And quickens heavenly life within."
A bleeding Saviour, seen by faith, is the sight
that gives peace to the guilty, heavy-laden soul.
It is the blood of Christ sprinkled upon the con-
science, that makes peace between God and the
sinner.
But what intense sufferings our divine Ee-
deemer endured, when he " bore our sins in his
own body ;" when he was made to be sin for us ;
when he suffered, the just for the unjust. A?
our substitute, he endured the wrath of God,
and suffered for our sins. It was infinite lovo
that led the blessed Son of God to endure all
these sufferings, rud, at last to submit to ihe
>
* J-^Sn iii. 14. Ifi.
ILE LOVE OF CHRIST. , 41
painful death of the cross. How brightly did
that love shine in the last hours of his life, when
he was about to bleed on Calvary ! What but
infinite love led him to the garden of Geth-
sernane, to endure that bitter agony ; when he
said, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto
death,"* and where " his sweat was as it were
great drops of blood falling down to the
ground !"f What but infinite love led him to
the judgment hall, there to be derided, con-
demned to death, and crowned with thorns ;
where " his visage was so marred more than any
man, and his form more than the sons of men !"J
What but infinite love brought him to Calvary's
mount, there to hang a suffering, bleeding vic-
tim on the cross, for our sins ?
There is nothing that shows the love of Christ
like Calvary. It is there that all the rays of
divine love are blended together. In that dark
hour in which our Saviour hung on the cross,
he showed to the world that his love was stronger
than death : then he exhibited more than human
love ; he manifested the infinite love of God.
Amidst all his sufferings, divine love shone with
the greatest lustre. Who can tell what love
Christ felt for a lost world when he suffered on
the cross? Then hs was aboii to accomplish
* Mark xiv 34. f Luke xxii. -M. J l>-i Hi. M
42 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
our salvation ; and his love became stronger and
stronger, Though he grappled with the powers
of darkness, yet his arm brought salvation. He
endured the hidings of his Father's countenance,
till he was led to exclaim, in the bitterness of
his soul, "My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me ? ' But he made an end of sin, and
brought in an everlasting righteousness ; and
amidst the last struggles of his holy soul, there
fell from his lips in dying accents, these most
blessed words the most joyful ever conveyed
to a sinner's ear, "It is finished!" Yes, your
salvation, sinner, is accomplished by this won-
drous death by that divine personage who
endured it.
O, look at this exhibition of love ! Was there
ever such love manifested to a lost world, as is
here displayed before your eyes? Header, con-
template Christ crucified.
How intently was the mind of the great apos-
tle fixed on this prolific theme ! His language
to the Corinthians is, "I determined not to know
any thing among you, save Jesus Christ and
him crucified."* You also may look towards
Calvary, and witli the same apostle, exclaim,
"God forbid that I should glory, save in the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ s y wlioin the
* I Cor. 11. 2.
THE LOVE OF CHRIS T. 43
world is crucified unto me, and I unto the
World."* Blessed Jesus 1 we cannot comprehend
ihe vastness of thy dying love.
" The propitiatory death, of Christ," says a
late pious writer, f " viewed by faith, fills and
absorbs the mind, touches and melts the heart,
raises and refines the affections, and completely
transforms the whole character."
" Herein is love," says John ; " not that we
loved God, but that he loved us, and gave his
Son to be a propitiation for our sins." "For
the love of Christ constrain clli. us, because we
thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all
dead ; and that he died for all, that they which
live should not henceforth live unto themselves,
but -unto him which died for them, and rose
again. "J
Is it surprising, then, that Christ should be
precious to believers ? Can we see his matchless
condescension, in stooping from a throne of
glory, to a cross of suffering and shame; can we
understand the great end of his amazing humil-
iation and vicarious death ; can we feel the
sprinkling of his peace-speaking blood upon the
conscience, and not love, adore, and magnify
him? "O ye cold-hearted, frozen formalists!
on such a theme it is impious to be calm. Pas-
* Gal. vi. 14 4- Thorn :on. 2 Cor. r. 14, 15.
4-i THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
sion is reason, transport is temper, here.' "What
can elevate and rejoice the soul, if it oe unaf-
fected with the highest manifestation' of eternal
love? In the death of Christ, the power, wis-
dom, justice, and mercy of God, shine fcith
in full unclouded splendor. What language
can, with due force, express the tender and
lively emotions which spring up in^the Chris-
tian's breast as he silently muses on the delight-
ful subject of redeeming love? God ! whaj is
man, that thou art mindful of him? Thou
didst not even spare thine own Son, but freely
delivered him up for us all. Who am I, that
such a price should be paid for nry ransom ? It
v\ r as not with silver and gold, and corruptible
chiiigs, that my soul was redeemed, but by the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot. Why, blessed and
adorable Saviour, didst thou look in compassion
on me, a worthless worm, a vile apostate, a hell-
deserving rebel ? how is my soul lost in ad-
miration and delight, when I contemplate this
mystery ! May thy love ever glow in my heart,
and thy praise on my tongue ! May I wholly
live to thee, who hast died for me.
"Oh, wond'rous love! to bleed and die
To bear the cross and shame;
That guilty sinners, such as I,
Might plead thy ^raaious vae."
THE LOVfi, OF CUEIST. 45
The death of Christ delivers us from condem-
nation. When a sinner, by faith, obtains a sight
of the crucified One, he boldly exclaims in the
faoe of all his enemies, " Who is he that conclem-
neth ? It is Christ that died." By his death he ;
has satisfied divine justice, and reconciled us to
God ; and " there is therefore now no condem-
nation to them .which are in Christ Jesus."*
"Being justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ;" and being
now justified by his blood, we shall he saved
from wrath through him. " When we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death
of his Son."f O, to have an interest in. that
itonement which Christ made for our sins 1 " By
whom we have now received the atonement."^:
Eeader, I would not lead you to Sinai, but
to Calvary to the Saviour's bleeding side. I
would point you to the cross of Christ ; to Him,
who, in his great love, once suffered, and bled,
and died for sinners. I would direct you to the
bleeding Lamb of God, " which taketh away the
sin of the world." May you behold Him with
the eye of faith ; even Him who so loved you,
that he laid down his own life for you Then
shall the peace of God, which passeth all under-
standing, fill vo'ir heart. Then shaB heavenly
* Rom. viii. 1. f RoE "- v 1, 9 *) t Rom - v - n
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
joys possess yo'ur renewed spirit ; and one un-
broken strain of praise shall, through time and
eternity, arise from your purified, exalted, and
enraptured soul, to Him that loved you, and
washed you from your sins in his own blood.
Look at Jesus now. Have faith in his aton
ing blood. Endeavor to obtain a glimpse of the
bleeding Saviour.
"A bleeding Saviour, seen by faith,
A sense of pard'ning love;
A hope that triumphs over death,
"Give joys like those above,
M Tc take a glimpse within the vail,
To know that God is mine;
Arc springs of joy that never fail,
Unspeakable! divine 1"
The sufferings and death of the Son of God
afford the most illustrious exhibition of divine
love that has ever been displayed on this terres-
trial globe. Here is exhibited love, such as
never before shone on earth love, surpassing
human thought and comprehension.- Truly,
here the love of Chris, passeth knowledge!
What wonderful love and condescension are
here manifested! Christ dying for sinners!
The Son of God nailed to the cross for sinners
The blood of Imrianuel flowing from Calvary
for sinners I
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 47
Dur blessed Saviour, " who, being in the form
of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
Go,l made himself of no reputation, and took
upon him the form of a servant, and was made
in the likeness of men ; and being found in
fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and be-
came obedient unto death, even the death of
the cross."* 0, wonderful love that made the
only begotten Son of God lay down his life for
sinners!
" That such a person as Christ," says an old
divine, f "so excellent, so innocent, should un-
dergo death, and such a death as that of the'
cross, so disgraceful, so painful ; that he should
submit to such ignominy, and endure such
agony, such tearing of his flesh, such pressure
in his spirit, with such submission and patience,
for strangers and enemies ! Here was love,
stronger than death. Oh 1 the height, oh! the
depth of this love ! There are such dimensions
in this love of Christ, as the longest line of our
most extended thoughts and imaginations can
never be able to reach and measure."
What amazing love did Christ manifest, when
he, who was the brightness of his Father's
glory, exchanged that crown of glory which
he wore in heaven, for a crown of thorns on
* Phil, ii 6-8. f Vincent
48 THE LOVE OF CIIKIST.
earth, and bled, and died on the cross for guilty
man!
Sinner, "Behold the Lamb of God!" Con-
template your divine Redeemer, who has shed
his precious blood to save your soul from eter-
nal misery. In love he died to save you. 0,
then, contemplate this loving Saviour in his suf-
ferings and death !
~ Think how on the cross he hung,
Pierc'd with a "thousand wounds!
Hark, from each, as with a tongue,
The voice of pardon sounds !
See, from all his bursting veins,
Blood of wondrous virtue flow !
Shed to wash away thy stains,
And ransom tliee from woe."
Sinner, flee to Christ. lie will receive you
joyfully, and save you with an everlasting sal-
vation. He will rejoice over you with great
joy. He is a loving Saviour, and he loves to
save sinners. He, " for the joy that was set be-
fore him," (the joy of saving sinners,) u endured
the cross, despising the shame, and is" now " set
down at the right hand of the throne of God."*
" Wherefore he is able also to save them to the
uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he
ever liveth to make intercession for thcm."f
Heb. xii. 2. f Jleb. vii 5
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 49
Come, no\v, and put your trust in this Saviour,
Leave with him your immortal concerns. In-
trust fearlessly your whole salvation to him,
Think not that he will reject you, if you essay
to cast your sin-burthened soul into his com-
passionate arms. His atonement is all-sufficient.
He saves to the very uttermost. Despair not ;
only come and commit your soul to Christ, and
salvation is yours.
There is an infinite efficacy in the precious
blood of Christ, to cleanse you from all sin.
Blessed be God t that blood which washes away
the deepest stains, has been shed ; and that
atonement which expiates the greatest guilt, has
been made. God now says to us, in language
the most strong and encouraging, " I have blot-
ted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and *
as a cloud, thy sins : return unto me ; for I have
redeemed thee."*
In the contemplation of our salvation, well
may we exclaim, with the prophet, "Sing, ye
heavens; for the Lord hath done it! Shout, ye
lower parts of the earth : break forth into sing-
ing, ye mountains, forest, and every tree
therein ; for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and
glorified himself in Israel."f
Blessed Jesus ! It is from thy death that we
* Is. xliv. 22. Is. xliv 28.
4
50 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
derive eternal life and blessedness. How should
our hearts glow with love to thee, and sound
with the high praises of our God I "I will
greatly rejoice in the Lord: my soul shall be
joyful in my God ; for he hath clothed me with
the garments of salvation ; he hath covered me
with the robe of righteousness.' 1 *
Header, are }^ou deeply interested in the
atonement and righteousness of Christ ? Then
go forward in your pilgrimage journey with
joy ; leaning upon Jesus, the beloved of your
soul. " And walk in love, as Christ also hath
loved us, and given himself for us, an ofFering
and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling
savor."f " Christ also loved the church, and
gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and
cleanse it with the washing of water by the
word ; that he might present it to himself a glo-
rious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any
such thing ; but that it should be holy and
without blemish.":): With their robes washed
white in the blood of the Immanuel, invested
with his spotless, perfect righteousness, the
saints shall at last be presented before God, a
faultless church ; and the redeeming love of
Christ constituting their unending theme, shall
engage their enlarged and exalted faculties, and
* Is. Ixi. la i Eph. v. 2. t Eph- v. 25-27.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 51
employ their ransomed souls in holy mediations
through the everlasting sabbath of eternity.
Sinner, resort forthwith to the fountain of the
Redeemer's blood, while it is yet open. Come,
without delay : "Wash, and be clean." "The
Spirit and the bride say, Come ; and let him
that heareth say, Come; and let him that is
athirst, come ; and whosoever will, let him take
the water of life freely."* If you thus come to
the fountain of living water, you will be able tc
adopt the language of Cowper, and say
There is a fountain fif/d with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel's veins ;
And sinners, plung'd beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
The dying thief rejoic'd to see
That fountain in his day ;
And here have I, as vile as he,
"Wash'd all my sins away.
Dear, dying Lamb, thy precious blood
Shall never lose its pow'r,
Till all the ransom'd ohurch of God
Be sav'd, to sin no more.
E'er since by faith I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme.
And shall be till I die.
* Rov. jodi T
52 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I'll sing thy pow'r to save ;
When this poor lisping, stamm'ring tongue
Lies silent in the grave.
THfi LOVE OF CHEIST. 58
CHAPTER 1,.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST CONTEMPLATED.
" And to know the love of Christ." EPHESIANS ii. 19.
ON no other subject did the mind of the
apostle Paul dwell with so much delight, as on
that of the redeeming love of Christ. This was
his favorite theme. It was his ardent desire to
exhibit to a lost world the grace of the Lord
Jesus, which had been so abundantly manifested
to himself, once a great sinner. It was the love
of Christ that sustained him amidst all his trials,
and distresses, and persecutions, and enabled
him to finish a glorious career.
Neither the threats of the Jews, nor the terror
of the Eomans, could separate him from the love
of Christ, or in the least abate his zeal for spread-
ing the news of salvation, and the wonders of
redeeming love through a lost world.
Writing to the Komans, he boldly exclaims :
" Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ?
Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or
famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword ? As
it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the
64: THE LOVE OF CHKIST.
day long; we are accounted as sheep for the
slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more
than conquerors, through him that loved us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor
things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able
to separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord."*
The same apostle, writing to the Ephesians,
desires and prays that Christ may dwell in their
hearts by faith, that they being rooted and
grounded in love, " may be able to comprehend
with all saints what is the breadth, and length,
and depth, and height ; and to know the love
of Christ, which passeth knowledge."
Let us contemplate the love of Christ in all
its extent, and in all its vastness. When did it
commence ? In the past eternity. The love of
Christ to his people extends from eternity.
Though it was manifested in time, yet it existed
from eternity. "Then I was by him as one
brought up with him, and I was daily his de-
light, rejoicing always before him ; rejoicing in
the habitable part of his earth, and my delights
were with the sons of men."*
Christ says to each of his chosen ones,
* Rom viii. 35-39 * Prov. viiL 30, 31
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 55
" I have loved thee with an everlasting love
therefore, with loving kindness have 1 drawn
-hee."* %
Oh ! wonderful thought, everlasting love !
Who can comprehend the import of these
words, everlasting love ? Christ loves us, and
his love is everlasting. Yes, dear believer,
Christ loved you before the world was created ;
before you had an existence. From all eternity
he thought upon your lost condition by nature ;
and oh ! how willingly, how gladly, he left the
throne of 'glory to bring salvation to you. His
love never had a beginning. "This river of
love began to flow before the world was ; from
everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the
earth was. Christ's love to us is as old* as the
father's love to the Son. This river of light
began to stream from Jesus towards us, before
the beams poured from the sun ; before the riv-
ers flowed to the ocean ; before angel loved
angel, or man loved man : before creatures were,
Christ loved us. This is a great deep ; who
can fathom it ? This love passeth knowledge."-)-
The love of Christ will reach into eternity ;
will extend throughout its immeasurable ages :
it has no end. This is the sweet declaration of
Christ, with regard to his love, that il the raoun-
* Jcr. xxxi. 3. f M'Cheyne,
56 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
tains shall depart, and the hills be removea,
but my kindness shall not depart from thee,
neither shall the covenant of my peace be re-
moved, saith the Lord that hath mercy on
thee."*
0, to be among that happy number, who will
enjoy in heaven the eternal favor of Christ's
love, which will make eternity itself one joyous
unclouded day of everlasting light and immor-
tal felicity !
Blessed Jesus 1 Interest each of us in thy un-
changing loving-kindness, which is better than
life. 0, let one ray of thy most wonderful love
light on our benighted hearts : soften them by
the manifestation of thy grace.
Of the vastness of the love of Christ, we can
form no adequate conceptions; much less can
we, by any power of the understanding, com-
prehend it. To use the emphatic language of
an old divine,f " it is as if a child could take
the globe of earth and sea in his two short
arms." The love of Christ is like a great ocean,
whose depths are unfathomable. There is a
height in this love, to which no human intelli-
gence can soar; a depth which no created mind
can penetrate.
In viewing the love of Christ, there lies a
* Is. liv. 10. f Sanrue Hulberford
THE LOVE OF CHEIST. 57
wide unbounded prospect before us. The men-
tal' vision wanders at liberty over this illirr it-able
range. The love of Christ is circumscribed by
no limits ; it is bounded by no horizon : it is
one vast expanse in which the soul may lose
itself in wonder, delight, and admiration.
The pious M'Cheyne, whom we have already
quoted, has the following beautiful remarks on
the love of Christ. " Paul says: ' The love of
Christ passeth knowledge.' It is like the blue
sky into which you may see clearly, but the
real vastness of which you cannot measure. It
is like the deep, deep sea, into whose bosom you
can look a little way, but its depths are unfath-
omable. It has a breadth without a bound,
length without top, and depth without bottom.
If holy Paul said this, who was so deeply taught
in divine things ; who had been in the third
heaven, and seen the glorified face of Jesus;
how much more may we, poor and weak be-
lievers, look into that love, and say, It passeth
knowledge I"
If we cannot comprehend the love of Christ;
if we cannot fathom it, let us contemplate and
admire it.
It was the love of Christ that led him to as-
s'lme human nature, in order that he might suf-
fer and die, and thus atone for the sins of hia
people : it was this love tha induced him to
58 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
leave the bosom of his Father, and the adorutic a
of the angelic host, and to sojourn among guilty
worthless mortals.
. It was love that led him to exchange the
throne of glory for the manger of Bethlehem
and the cross of Calvary. It was love thai
made his whole life, from the manger to the
cross, one of grief and sorrow. Love made him
" a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief."
Well might the blessed Jesus have exclaimed,
"Behold and see if there be any sorrow like
,unto my sorrow, wherewith the 'Lord hath af :
flicted me in the day of his fierce anger."* It w:*>
love that made him suffer and die for sinner;-.
Yes, love led him to the gloomy garden of Geth-
semane; love drew him to the judgment hall;
love nailed him to the cross ; and love enabled
him to exclaim with -his expiring breath, "It is
finished."
" Greater love hath no man than this." The
love of Christ is wonderful love : it is surpass-
ing, boundless love. Look at that amazing love
which Christ has manifested to sinners ; and
may you be able to comprehend with all saints
what is its breadth, and length, and depth, and
height !
When you intently contemplate that redeem*
* Lam u 12.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 59
i.ng love which brought Christ from his throne,
to live and suffer, and die for sinners, does not
your breast heave with emotions of gratitude ;
does not your soul rise in adoration, and is it not
lost in wonder, love, and praise ?
Have you a heart so cold as not to be warmed
by such unbounded love ; a heart so hard as not
to be softened by such grace as is here set be-
fore the eyes of a wondering world ?
No feeble mortal can express the vastness of
the love of Christ to sinners ! It is a mystery
which eternity itself will never fully unravel.
" God only knows the love of God." We know-
that it is great love, and that it is manifested to
sinners, but it is love too boundless for the most
capacious mind to grasp. None can comprehend
its vastness : none can measure its immensity ;
language fails to describe it; human thought
cannot fathom it ; time cannot disclose its depths;
and vast eternity itself will roll away in its con-
tinual and delightful contemplation.
Ho\v transcendent is the love of Christ 1 It
passeth knowledge.
O my soul, art thou not lost in wonder and
admiration when thou contemplatest this divine
love the love of Jesus ? And love so amazing,
love so boundless as the love of Chrisi, should
call forth all our loftiest s rains of praise, and
exercise our highest powers -)f mind in devout
60 TH.. LOVE OF CHRIST.
contemplations. It should be the constant .
of our meditation here, till we come to possess
its full and eternal enjoyment in that world
where all is love. And if we possess the love
of Christ on earth, it will cheer our hearts,
brighten our prospects, alleviate our sorrows,
mitigate our afflictions, and emit a ray of hope
that will enable us to rejoice with joy unspeak-
able and full of glory, even in this vale of
tears.
To be the object of Christ's love is desirable,
and it is a blessed attainment to know that you
enjoy it; to say with Paul, "I am crucified with
Christ : nevertheless, I live ; yet not I, but Christ
liveth in me ; and the life which I now live in
the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me, and gave himself for me."* There
is nothing so much calculated to drive from sin,
or excite to good works, as a ray of the love of
Christ darting into the sinner's heart : this will
more effectually melt it, than all the terrors of
the law, or the thunders of Sinai.
The love of Christ fills the soul with immortal
joys. There is nothing so reviving to the be-
liever, as the sweet thought of Christ's love to
him.
There is no subject stored with such an exub-
* Gal ii. 20.
T* H E LOVE OF CHRIST. 61
erance of divine consolation, and heavenly joy
as that of redeeming love the love of the Son
of God to a lost world. Every other subject
loses its lustre when contrasted with this sub-,
lime, soul-reviving theme ; and nothing tends so
effectually to expand, elevate, and purify the
soul, as that faith " which worketh by love."
And what do we not owe to the love of Christ ?
All the comforts and happiness of life, and all
the joys of a blissful eternity flow from this
love.
You should meditate much upon the love ot
Christ ; and may that love ever glow within you,
and be like a perpetual fire burning upon the
altar of your heart. " The love of Christ is a
subject too lofty for a seraph's harp. The soul,
renewed by the spirit, is often incapable of ex-
pressing the sublime feelings which pass through
the mind, when thinking on this glorious sub-
ject. The love of Christ conveys a joy to the
believer's heart, which is unv peakable and fall
of glory. The tongue cannot express the delight
of heart which arises from the manifestation of
this love.
"The joy of harvest, the joy of the bride-
groom on his wedding day ; the joy of victory,
and taking great spoils, from the enemy ; the joy
of a poor man in finding great treasures; all
these are not worthy to be compared with the
62 THB LOVE OF CHRIST.
joy and exultation of the believer's heart, oa
the manifestation of this love to his soul. "*
What does the blessed Jesus deserve for such
unbounded love to sinners? .All our hearts
should be devoted to his service, and all our
affections should be placed upon him. We
should love him, because he first loved us.
" Whom having not seen, ye love ; in whom,
though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye
rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory."f
to be made like the adorable Redeemer, and
to praise him throughout the countless ages of
eternity, for the wonders of his redeeming love !
May this be the desire of every reader ; and may
each be enabled to exclaim with the Psalmist,
** Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and there
is none upon earth that I desire besides thee I' 1 }
"One there is, above all others,
Well deserves the name of Friend :
His is love beyond a brother's ;
Costly, free, and knows no end.
They who once his kindness prove,
Find it everlasting love.
" Which ol' all our friends to save us,
Could or wo' Jd have shed their llood 1
But our Jesi s died to have us
Reconciled, in him to God ;
This was boundless love indeed
Jesus is a friend in need." NEWTON.
Vin Jent. f 1 Pet. i. 8. \ Ps. IxxiL '25
THE LOVE OF OH BIST. 63
CHAPTER V.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST IN THE BESTOW MENT OF { RACE,
IN THE GIFT OF HIS WORD, AND IN THE INSTITU-
TION OF DIVINE ORDINANCES.
"The Lord will give grace." PSALM Ixxxiv. 11.
"I have given them thy word." JOHN xvii. 14.
"He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and
some, evangelists ; and some, pastors and teachers." EPH.
iv. 11, 12.
"THE Lord will give grace."* But will he
give grace to sinners? Yes, to great sinners.
Paul was the chief of sinners, and yet to him
was the grace of the Lord Jesus manifested. He
asserts, concerning himself, that "The grace of
our Lord was exceeding abundant, with faith
and love which is in Christ Jesus."f
Oh ! what surpassing, boundless love, has
Christ manifested to sinners ! And on millions
of Adam's lost and guilty race, who were once
as vile as sin could make them, has he in his
great love bestowed his boundless grace. It is
his love that makes sinners saints, and distin-
guish them from th<? rest of mankind ; and
* Psalm Ixxxiv. 11 . \ 1 Tin i. 14.
64 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
every sinner that will enter heaven's gates, must
first feel the constraining influence of this love.
How sweet are the words, " By grace (without
merit) ye are saved 1" Here is an overflowing
fountain of divine consolation for guilty sinners.
What wonderful love is here manifested to us !
"God, who is rich in mercy, for his great
love wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with
Christ (by grace ye are saved) ; and hath raised
us up together, and made us sit together in
heavenly places, in Christ Jesus; that in the
ages to come, he might show the exceeding
riches of his grace in his kindness towards us,
through Christ Jesus."*
This grace is greatly celebrated by prophets,
and apostles, and saints. Paul cries, " By the
grace of God, I am what I am." The Psalmist
exclaims, " How excellent is thy loving kind-
ness, God ! therefore the children of men put
their trust under the shadow of thy wings." A
good man says, " Nothing but free grace makes
* Eph. ii. 4-7. " Most amazingly rich mercy I most as-
tonishingly great love When dead in sins, blinded by
pride to our wretchedness, and full of enmity against God
and goodness, even then he loved us with great love, and
of rich mercy quickened us. O .ook at, live and feed r.pon
this rich mercy and great love Oh . to graco what migl ty
debt :rs." MASON
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 65
any difference between me and the vilest of sin-
ners." One says, "I know no sweeter way to
heaven, than through free grace and hard trials
together; and where grace is, hard trials are
seldom wanting." Another says, " Two things
I chiefly know : one is, that I am a great sinner ;
the other is, that Jesus Christ is a great Saviour.
the riches of divine grace !"
When Christ shall bring forth the headstone
of his living, glorious temple, all the redeemed
shall shout " Grace, grace, unto it."* Grace is
glory begun, glory is grace perfected. Grace is
the first degree of glory. The Lord will give
grace and glory too. what precious words !
who can weigh their import ?
"Amazing grace! (how sweet the soundly
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found ;
"Was blind, but now I see.
" Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved ;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believed !
' Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come:
Tis grace has brought me safe thus fa?
A.n<l grace will lead me home.
Zech. iv. 7
66 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
'The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my hope secures ;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
"Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil
A life of joy and peace.
"The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine ;
But God, who called me here, below,
Will be forever mine." NEWTON.
As soon as sinners are brought into a state
v( grace, they have need of continual spirit-
ual instruction ; and such instruction, Christ
in his love has afforded them. He hr.s given
them his word. He has favored them with the
means of grace, and with the institution of
divine ordinances. In the gift of his word,
Christ has manifested graat love to his people.
SVhilst journeying through this bleak, arid,
wilderness world, to mansions of glory, he re
freshes their souls with the bread of life, and
with the living waters of salvation. The word
of God, and the ordinances of his grace, afford
them abundant provisions by the way.
What transcendent love has the blessed Jesus
manifested in giving us this unspeakably pre-
cious treasure, the holy Scriptures, in which are
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
contained such inexhaustible stores of rich
grace. The whole Bible is an epistle of love,
unspeakable love, to perishing sinners. It un-
folds the way of salvation ; it proclaims a risen,
glorified Saviour; it points to the Lamb of
God \ } it is full of Christ, full of immortal love ;
it leads the sinner to glory. then, may this
precious treasure, this precious volume be
yours, be mine, to guide us through this dark,
bewildering scene of sin and sorrow, to a bright-
er world above, " Thy word," says the psalm-
ist, " is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto
my path."*
How highly has the word of God been
prized by every Christian pilgrim, by every
traveller to Zion : it was David's comfort in his
affliction ; it was his song in the house of his
pilgrimage. " This is my comfort in my afflic-
tion, for thy word hath quickened me." " Thy
statutes have been my songs in the house of my
pilgrimage."t
How precious was the holy law of God, to
this eminent saint, Israel's sacred bard ! Hear
him exclaim, " O, how I love thy law ! it is my
meditation all the day." " Thy testimonies have
I taken as a heritage for ever, for they are the
rejoicing of my heart." " Therefore I love thy
* Psalm cxix. 105. f Psalm cxix. .50. 54.
68 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
commandments above gold; yea, above nne
gold." "How sweet are thy words unto my
taste ! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth."
"Consider how I love thy precepts." "My
soul hath kept thy testimonies, and I love them
exceedingly."*
Eeader, may you also love the word of God,
and may it ever be your greatest delight to
read its sacred pages. You cannot prize this
blessed book sufficiently. Blessed Jesus, what
do we not owe thee for the gift of this precious
volume I
"Let everlasting thanks be thine,
For such a bright display,
As makes a world of darkness shine
"With beams of heavenly day.
"My soul rejoices to pursue
The steps of him I love ;
Till glory breaks upon my view,
In brighter worlds above." COWPER.
In his love, Christ "has given unto us ex-
ceeding great and precious promises."f May
you ever contemplate these "precious prom-
ises ;" and may your prayer be, " Open thou
mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things
out of thy law." If you are a believer, you
* Psalm cxix. f 2 Pet i. 4.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 69
will love and value the word of God ; y-xiu will
meditate much on it. It is true of a righteous
man, tha. "jis delight is in the law of the
Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and
night."* On a dying bed, you will not regret
having spent too much time in the study of the
Scriptures, but you may lament that you had
not devoted more of your time to the diligent
perusal of the divine pages. "When Salmasius,
one of the most consummate scholars of his age,
came to die, he exclaimed, "Oil have lost a
world of time ! time, the most precious thing in
the world I whereof had I but one year more, I
would spend it in reading David's Psalms and
Paul's Epistles." The immortal John Locke,
when asked which was the surest way for a
young man to attain a knowledge of the Chris-
tian religion, replied, " Let him study the Holy
Scriptures, especially the New Testament :
therein are contained the words of eternal life ;
it has Grod for its author, salvation for its end,
and truth, without any mixture of error, for its
matter."
It is from the Bible that we obtain that knowl-
edge, which will guide us to the abodes of im-
mortality which will lead us to the glory and
hon DP that will 3ndure when sun and stars havo
"Fialm i. 2
70 THE LOVE OF C H E I S T.
lost their light. Then study the word of God.
" It embodies all," says an eloquent living writer,
" that a Christian in this pilgrimage can need :
it is his only chart through this tempestuous
life ; in trouble, it is his consolation ; in pros-
perity, his monitor; in difficulty, his guide;
amid the darkness of death, and while descend-
ing into the shadowy valley, it is the day-star
that illuminates his path, makes his dying eye
bright with hope, and cheers his soul with the
prospect of immortal glory."*
Always remember the divine admonition of
our blessed Saviour, " Search the scriptures, for
in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they
are they which testify of me."f
And " Let the word of Christ dwell in you
richly in all wisdom.";}: Let the language of
your heart ever be,
" May this blest volume ever lie
Close to my heart, and near mine eye ;
Till life's last hour my soul engage,
And be my chosen heritage."
[n the institution of the ordinances of grace,
Christ has manifested the tenderest love and
concern for the spiritual welfare of his people
Rev. Dr. Wati* >ury. f Jchn v. 39.
Col. iii. 16.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 71
while in tliis world. In his love, "he gavo some,
apostles ; and some, prophets ; and some, evan-
gelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the
perfecting of the saints, for the ediiying of the
body of Christ."*
A preached Gospel is the gift of Christ a
gift of love to a lost world. The Redeemer's
last command, was, " Go ye into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every creature."! This
blessed gospel, Christ in his love has sent to us.
The lines are fallen unto us in pleasant places;
yea, we have a goodly heritage.^
Blessed be God ! that the glad tidings of life
and salvation, through a crucified Redeemer,
have reached our ears. 0, happy they, whose
lot is cast within the joyful sound of the glo-
rious gospel ! " Blessed is the people that
know the joyful sound ; they shall walk, O
Lord, in the light of thy countenance."!
"Blessed are they that dwell in thy house ; they
will be still praising thee."|| What a blessed
privilege is it, that we enjo}^, of entering into
the house of God, with voices of joy and praise !
Let us prize this privilege, and let us love to
dwell in the house of God. How ardently did
David love the sanctuary of God ! " Lord, I
* Eph. iv. 11, 12. * f Mark xvi. 15.
\ Psalm xvi 6. Psalm Ixxxix. 1&
i| Psalm Ixxxiv. 4.
72 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
have loved the habitation of thy house, and th*
place where thine honor dwelleth."* " One
thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I
Beekr after; that I may dwell in the house of
the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the
beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his tern
ple."f To David, no spot on earth was so dear
as Zion's holy hill ; no service so sweet as that
of divine worship. How highly should you,
who live amidst the meridian splendor of Chris-
tianity, prize the means of grace which you en-
joy ! With the Psalmist may you exclaim
from the heart, " How amiable are thy taberna-
cles, Lordfr of hosts 1 a day in thy courts is
better than a thousand. I had Father be a door-
keeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in
the tents of wickedness.";];
In the institution of the sacramental supper,
Christ has afforded a grand exhibition of love.
In his love, yea in his dying love, he instituted
it. The Lord's Supper is the sweetest of all or-
dinances; it is, emphatically, a feast of love.
The very banner that Christ unfurls over the
head of every believing communicant, is love,
love written in such legible characters that he
vho runs may read. " He brought me to the
* Psalm xxxvi. 8. f Psalm xxviS. 4
J Psalm Ixxxiv. 1. la
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 73
banqueting house, and his banner over me was
love."* With, what joy does the redeemed sin-
ner approach this sacred table, that he may com-
memorate the dying love of his blessed Saviour !
His language is, "I sat down under his shadow
with great delight, and his fruit was sweet tc my
taste."f
This ordinance, exhibiting as it does a cruci-
fied Saviour, vividly displays the vastness of
redeeming love and the riches of divine grace.
A loving Saviour has spread this table for us,
and he cries, " Eat, friends ; drink, yea, drink
abundantly, beloved.":): What blessings are
here provided for dying sinners ? the bread of
life, the waters of salvation, remission of sins ;
yea, an abundant pardon, peace with God, a
raeetness for heaven !
Come and show your love to Christ, at this
feast of love ; remember, and obey his dying in-
junction, " This do in remembrance of me." Can
vou lay any claim to the name of a .Christian,
while you live in the utter neglect of this duty ?
Surely not. The love of Christ should constrain
you to observe it. Surely it becomes a ransomed
captive, a captive bought at such an inestimable
prioe, to testify his obligations to his loving Ee-
Cant, il 5. f Cant ii 8.
J Cant v. 1
74 THE LOVE OF CHRIST
deemer I " Come, for all things are now ready."*
Come to the Lord's table, and behold the most
amazing love manifested to you the infinite love
of the dying Son of God!
Blessed Jesus I may it be our delight, on
earth to confess and own thee as our divine
Redeemer before men, and to commemorate thy
dj-ing love in this sweet ordinance. Eefreshed
by that spiritual provision, which thou hast laid
up for us in the gospel of thy grace, may we
press onward in our pilgrimage journey heaven-
ward ; and at last realize the joys of a blessed
home in the world of glory.
Dear believer/ we shall soon exchange the
table below for the table above. i i " our
divine Redeemer, himself shall be at the head of
that table, and shall feed us, and lead us unto liv-
ing fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away
all tears from our eyes. Till then, let us en-
deavor to be profited by all those means of grace,
with which Christ in his love has favored us.
" Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of OUT
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To l.ira be
glory both now and for ever. Amen."{-
* L'-kexv 17 f % Pet. lil 18.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 76
CHAPTER V .
THE LOVE OF CHRIST IN AFFLICTIONS.
Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgetb
t F ery son whom he receiveth." HKB. xii. 6.
"Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither
doth trouble spring out of the ground ; yet man is born unto
trouble as the sparks fly upward." JOB v. 6, 7.
AFFLICTION comes upon all. None are ex-
empt from the sufferings incident to our fallen
nature. The young, the old, the rich and the
poor, alike feel the withering touch of affliction
and of sorrow. Disease invades the strongest
constitution, and affliction prostrates the might-
iest energy. Often those in the prime and vigor
of life are laid down on the bed of sickness, and
made to feel that they are dying creatures. IIow
true it is, that " man that is born of a woman is
of few days, and full of trouble!"*
The children of God are not exempted from
the afflictions of this life ; but it is their blessed
consolation to know that they have a Friend to
sympathize with them in all their sorrows and
* Job xiv. .
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
sufferings, while in this mortal state. Yes, Jesua
is that friend, who watches over their sick beds,
and consoles their desponding spirits amid the
frailty of sinking nature. Oh I how often does
the blessed Jesus wonderfully manifest his love
to his afflicted ones 1 How often does he whis-
per words of peace and love and consolation in
their ears ! How often, on the manifestation of
his love, do their souls overflow with joy, even
when their bodies are racked with severe pain !
Christ will always make that promise good,
" As thy days, so shall thy strength be ;" and
amidst all our trials and afflictions here, we may
rely with unshaken confidence on the promises
of our loving Eedeemer, who will not forsake
us in the hour of extremity. Then he will
manifest his love to us, and display the riches
of his grace In all our trials, his promise runs
thus : " My grace is sufficient for thee, for my
strength is made perfect in weakness."*
All the afflictions of the children of God are
designed for their good. They come from a
kind heavenly Father, from a God of love ; and
one of their designs is, the purification and
sanctification of believers. "I will turn my
hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy
dross, and take away all thy tm."f " By this,
2 Cor. \ri ? f Is i- 25 -
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 77
therefore, stall all the iniquity of Jacob be
purged ; and this is all the fruit to take away
his sin."* "Some of them of understanding
shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to
make them white, even to the time of the end."f
" Many shall be purified, and made white, and
tried.' 1 :):
Afflictions make us meet for glory : they en-
able us to obtain a correct view of the vanity of
terrestrial happiness ; they tend, through grace,
to fix our souls on Him, in whom alone we can
find true happiness and immortal joys. Happy
sickness, that leads the soul to Jesus, the only
source of blessedness !
Afflictions, then, promote our spiritual wel-
fare, and are ordered for our good. It is ex-
pressly declared, " that all things work together
for good, to them that love God, to them who
are the called according to his purpose ;" and
afflictions are among the "all things" that are
beneficial to the present and eternal welfare and
happiness of God's children. Afflicted believer,
Christ says to you, " What I do, thou knowest
not now ; but thou shalt know hereafter."!
You will soon know the merciful design, which
Christ had in afflicting you. In the light of
la xxii. 9. f Dar - xi. 35. \ Dan. xii. 10
Rom ^ iii. 28- Jolin xiii. 7.
78
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
eternity, you will look back and say that he has
brought you by a way that is right.
In their afflictions here, Christ manifests most
tender love to believers: he renews their faint-
ing souls, by the manifestation of his love and
the revelation of his grace ; he strengthens them
inwardly. "In the day when I cried, thou
answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with
strength in my soul."*
It was the manifestation of the love and grace
of the Lord Jesus, that supported the Apostle
Paul amidst all his afflictions. " For which
cause," says he, "we faint not; but though our
outward man perish, yet the inward man is re-
newed day by day. For our light affliction,
which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
while we look not at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen : for the
things which are seen are temporal, but the
things which are not seen are eternal."!
How greatly will our light afflictions and
trials here, add to the weight of that crown of
glory, which we shall wear hereafter 1 How
will they sweeten that eternal rest which re-
maineth for the people of God, our happy home
in heaven I
* Ps cxxxviii. 3
{Cor. !Y. 16,18.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 79
Wore the sun of prosperity always to shine
upon us, we would soon forget our Father's
house, car heritage above. Christ sends us af-
flictions to tell us that this is not our rest, that
our blessed home is far above this scene of per-
ishing mortality. Here, we must be fitted for
glory ; and Christ says to his followers, "In the
world ye shall have tribulation."* It is through
much tribulation that we must enter into the
kingdom of God. Of that happy throng who
stand around the throne of the Eternal, it is
said, *' These are they which came out of great
tribulation, and have washed their robes, arid
made them white in the blood of the Lamb."f
The way to Mount Zion lies through the val-
ley of Baca. The road to glory is a rough
one. Believers may exclaim with the Psalmist,
" Thou, God, hast proved us : thou hast tried
us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into
the net ; thou laidest affliction upon our loins ;
thou hast caused men to ride over our heads ;
we went through fire and water; but thou
broughtest us out into a wealthy place.":): But
when we come to that wealthy place, even to
the heavenly Canaan, we will find that it will
make amends for all our momentary afflictions
* Jjhnxvi. 33. f Rev. vl 14.
J Psalm Ixvi. i)-12.
80 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
on earth- that one hour with Christ in glory,
will make us forget a lifetime of suffering.
"Though rough and thorny be the road,
It leads thee home, apace, to God :
Then count thy present trials small,
For heaven will make amends for all."
Even now, when we are travelling through
this vale of tears to mansions of glory, we have
our comforts and enjoyments. The love of
Christ sweetens every affliction ; turns the dark-
est night of adversity into the light of day, and
the saddest, night of weeping into the morning
of joy. Come afflictions, come trials, come
whatever may, we are assured that all things
shall work together for our good.
Reader, are you afflicted ? Is it sanctified to
you ? If so, look upon it as an evidence of
Christ's love. Let it ever be remembered, that
" Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and
scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." *
And again, " Whom the Lord loveth he cor-
recteth, even as a father the son in whom he de-
lighteth."f The Lord afflicts his people, be-
cause he loves them. "As many as I love,"
says Christ, "I rebuke and chasten.'' J Hs does
it " for our profit, that we might be partakers
Heb xi 6. f Prey iii. !2
Rev. iii. 19.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
81
of his holiness." And though now, " No cnast-
ening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but
grievous ; nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the
peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which
are exercised thereby."* Afflictions are often
sent to arrest the wanderer in his course, and to
bring him back to God. Many a child of God
can say with David, who had often been tried
and made to pass through the furnace of afflic-
tion, "Before I was afflicted, I went astray,
but now have I kept thy word. It is good for
me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn
thy statutes. I know, Lord, that thy judg
ments are right, and that thou in faithfulness
hast afflicted me."f
Afflictions are also designed for the conver-
sion of sinners. Thousands have been chosen
in the furnace of affliction. Oh! how many
saints of God, in every age, can witness to the
truth of these words : " Behold, I have refined
thee, but not with silver ; I have chosen thee
in the furnace of affliction."^: How many care-
less sinners, under the softening touch of af-
fliction, have been brought to Jesus, and have
found peace in his atoning blood ! How many,
without the saving knowledge of Christ, have
Ha: xii. 10, 11. f Psaln cxix. 67 71,75.
J Is. xlviii. 10.
t>
82 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
been cast on beds of sickness, and there made,
for the first time, to feel that Jesus is precious
Then they enjoyed his love, received his grace,
and knew by experience that the Lord is gra
clous. Then affliction became light, Christ pre-
cious, and heaven sweet. The manifestation of
a Saviour's love dispelled every gloorn, and
heavenly light irradiated their souls.
In affliction, Christ manifests the tenderest
love to his people, and then it is that they get a
glimpse of his matchless perfections. He is al-
ways near them, and " in all their affliction he
is afflicted, and the angel of his presence saves
them."*
How happy are they to whom the love of
Christ is manifested in affliction ; in whose
hearts the love of God is shed abroad ; and whc
are filled with joy unspeakable, and full of
glory! Such are enabled to say, with an ex-
perienced apostle, " We glory in tribulations
also ; knowing that tribulation worketh pati-
ence; and patience, experience; and experience,
hope ; and hope maketh riot ashamed ; because
the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by
the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."f
A young lady who had lain on a bed of sick-
ness for many months, once declared to the
* T s . Jxiii. a * Rom v. 8-6.
THE LOVE OP CHRIST. 83
writer, that she would rather suffer affliction
with the people of God, than enjoy the pleasures
of sin for a season. Whence arose this resigna-
tion to the will of God, amidst extreme suffer-
ings? From the manifestation of Christ's love ;
from that love being shed abroad in her heart.
"How often does Christ manifest his dear-
est love to his suffering ones," said an emi-
nent saint* of other days, during her sickness.
" Blessed be God for all his mercies, and for
this comfort in my affliction. 0, how many
mercies I have ! I want for nothing. Hitherto
I can say, the Lord is gracious. He has been
very merciful to me, in sustaining me under all
my trials. The Lord brings affliction, but it is
not because he delights to afflict his children ; it
is at all times for our profit. I can say it has
been good for me to be afflicted ; it has enabled
me to discern things, which, when I was in
health, I could not perceive. It has made me
know more of the vanity and emptiness of this
world, and all its delusive pleasures ; for at best
they are but vanity."
Said an amiable and devoted young minister^
in his last sickness, " I do not consider my cir-
cumstances melancholy or painful. I am very
* Hannah Housman.
f Rev Thomas Kawson Taylor, late of Bradford in York-
hiro.
84: THE LOVE OF CHKIST.
mercifully dealt with. My passage to the tomb
is easy. I have comparatively little suffering,
and I enjoy that peace of God which passeth all
understanding. I can truly say, that goodness
and mercy have followed me all my days, in-
cluding these suffering days: and looking up-
wards to that house not made with hands, eter-
nal in the heavens, I can also add, 'I shall
dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.' " Thus
afflictions work for our good, and qualify us for
the joys and bliss of heaven.
And now, afflicted reader, remember the di-
vine exhortation, "My son, despise not thou the
chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art
rebuked of him."* " Happy is the man whom
God correcteth ; therefore despise not thou the
chastening of the Almighty : for he maketh sore
and bindeth up ; he woundeth, and his hands
make whole."f " If ye endure chastening, God
dealeth with you as with his sons ; for what son
is he whom the father chasteneth not ? but if he
be without chastisement, whereof all are par-
Bakers, then are ye bastards and not sons."J
Dear believer, the time is short. Your afflic-
tions are nearly over.g
* Heb. xiii. 5 f Job. v. 17, 18. \ Heb. xii. 7, 8.
" A few more trials ; a few more tears , a few more days
of darkness, and we shall be forever with the Lord. ' In
this tabernacle we groan, being I urdened.' All dark tilings
THE LOVE 01? CHRIST.
85
* Be still, my soul, and know the Lord ;
In meek submission wait his will,
His presence can true peace afford,
His power can shield from every ilL
" Thy path is strewed with piercing thorns
Each step is gained by arduous fight,
Yet wait, till hope's bright morning dawns,
Till darkness changes into light
" Soon shall the painful conflict cea?
Soon snail the raging storm be o'er ;
Soon shalt thou reach the realms of peace,
Where suffering shall be known no more.
"There shall thy joy forever flow
In one unbroken stream of bliss ;
There shalt thou God the Saviour Know,
And feel him thine as thou art his."
Cleave closely to Jesus ; you shall soon see
him as he is; then your afflictions, and trials,
and days of mourning will have eiaded; you
Bhall reign with Jesus, and be like him. The
Lord having now " begun a good work in you,
will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."*
shall yet be cleared up; all sufferings healed; all blanks
supplied; and we shall find fulness of joy (not cne drop
wanting) in the smile and presence of our God. It is one
of the laws of Christ's kingdom. 'We must through much
tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.' We must not
reckon upon a smooth road to glory, but it will be a short
ona*
* Phil. i. G.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
Sanctified afflictions are fitting you for neaven,
"Blessed is the man whom thou cnnstenest,
Lord, and teaches! him out of thy law ; that
thou mayest give him rest from the days of ad-
versity, until the pit be digged for the wicked."*
Choose Christ now, and yon may rest assured
that goodness and mercy shall follow you
through life, and glory and immortality crown
you at death. You will enjoy the love of Christ
in health, and in sickness, arid when you. corne
to feel your last pain, and draw your last breath,
you will shout forth, " O death, where is thy
sting ? grave, where is thy victory ? Thanks
be to God, which giveth us the victory, through
our Lord Jesus Christ."*
* rsalm xoiv. 13, 18 f 1 Cor. xv f&> 6?.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
87
HI mi vii.
TliE LOVE OF CHRIST, AS MANIFESTED TO HIS PEOPLR
IN THE HOUR OF DEATH.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, 1 will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod
and thy staff, they comfort me." PSALM xxiii, 4.
"And when the closing scenes prevail,
When wealth, state, pleasure, all shall fail;
All that a foolish world admires.
Or passion, craves or pride inspires :
At that important hour of need,
Jesus shall prove a friend indeed:
His hand shall smooth thy dying bed,
His arm sustain thy drooping head ,
And when the painful struggle's o'er,
And that vain thing, the world, no more
He'll bear his humble friend away,
To rapture and eternal day."
IT is a solemn truth that you and I must die,
Death will soon overtake us. Before the termi
nation of the present year ; yea, before the sun
shall have again passed the horizon, the hand
that now writes these lines, and the eye that
now reads them, may both have felt the chill of
death.
Oh, what is human life 1 A. vapor ; a dream
88 THE LOVE OF CHEIST.
a tale that is soon told ; a feeble spark of vital-
ity, emitting its light for a moment, and then for-
ever extinguished! "Man that is born of a
woman, is of few days : he cometh forth like a
flower, and is cut down; he fleeth also as a
shadow, and continueth not."* "My days,"
says Job, " are swifter than a weaver's shuttle,
and are spent without hope. remember that
my life is wind! "f
Our continuance on earth is but for a short
moment. "Our days on the earth are as a
shadow, and there is none abiding.";): "As for
man, his days are as grass : as a flower of the
field, so he flourisheth; for the wind passeth
over it, and it is gone, and the place thereo
shall know it no more."|| " For what is your
jfe? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a
little time, and then vanisheth away." How
short, how uncertain is life ; but how certain 13
death !
How true it is that God will bring us to death,
and to the house appointed for all living. ^f " It
is appointed unto men once to die."** Millions
have fallen before the irresistible stroke of death
* Job xiv. 1, 2. J Psalm cin. 15, iJ.
f Job vii. 6, 7, Jaraesiv. 14.
J 1 ChroL xxix. 15 ^T Job xxx. 2X.
27.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 89
All mankind are dying creatures, and are press-
ing en ward to the grave.
Keflect upon the past history of mortality.
" Generation after generation," says a beautiful
writer, "have passed away. Time was, when
they were alive upon the earth, and active amid
its busy scenes. They had their joys and their
sorrows. They flitted across life's busy stage:
and disappeared forever behind the curtain of
mortality. They have gone. The winds of
centuries have swept over their graves. "
As it was with them, so it will soon be
with us. Look at the future. It is computed
that eight hundred millions constitute the popu-
lation of our globe : these, in less than a cen-
tury, will all be lodged in the grave. The
grave receives alike as its victims the inmate
of the cottage, and him who sits on his throne
and sways the sceptre of nations. The paths
of glory and honor lead but to the grave. Here
come the nobles with their titles, kings with
their crowns, and scholars with their volumes.
Here is the home of the mighty hero, who once
with his steel-clad millions thundered over the
field of battle, and with an arm of power shook
the foundations of kingdoms.
'How populous, how vital is the grave!
This is creation's melancholy vault."
90 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
look at the brevity and vanity of human
life, and learn a solemn lesson. Though you
have soared in fame, or have accumulated wealth
in abundance ; though you glory in human
p< wer, and, like Alexander, could ride triumph-
antly over the ruins of desolated nations, yet the
time will soon have arrived when the feeble ten-
ement of clay shall moulder, leaving its only
epitaph upon the crumbling marble ; when it
may be pronounced, over your mortal remains :
"How loved, how valued once, avails thee not,
To whom related, or by whom begot:
A heap of dust alone remains of thee;
'Tis all thou art, and all the great shall be."
But death does not annihilate our existence.
We are immortal beings. Human life is but a
prelude to an immortal state of being. As we
close our eyes on the visionary scenes of time,
we open them amid the solemn realities of eter-
nity ; we enter upon that life which will never
end. To die, then, is but to live.
Oh I how important it is that we should be-
come interested in the atonement of Christ ; that
we may find redemption in his blood, and for
givcness of sins, that we may die in peace.
All must tread along the dark valley. All
must cross the Jordan of death. But the hum-
ble follower of Chrst is through grace, enabled
THE LOVE OF CUEIST. 91
to exclaim, as he approaches the dreadful prec-
ipice that hides the view of mortality : " Yea,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death, I will fear no evil : for thou art with
me ; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me."*
Christ's presence is with believers in the hour
of death ; he cheers their departing spirits.
They have fled for refuge to him, and he sus-
tains them in their trying hour. Then he is a
friend indeed ; a friend that sticketh closer than
a brother. This love is manifested to them : it
enables them to shout forth triumphantly, in the
face of the last enemy, " 0, death, where is thy
sting ? 0, grave, where is thy victory ? The
sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is
the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth
us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ."t
It is to the believer in Jesus, and to him alone,
that death comes disarmed of his terrors ; being
only a faithful messenger to convey him to his
dear Lord and Saviour: so. that in the prospect
of dissolution, he can express a desire with Paul,
"To depart and be with Christ, which is far
better.":); He knows that Christ is his loving
friend, that he is watching over his dying bed,
ready to receive his departing spirit, and he can
confidently say with Stephen, " Lord Jesus, re-
* Psalm xxiii. 4. f 1 Coi xv. 55-57 $ Phil i. 28
92 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
ceive my spirit : r * with David, "Into thine
hand I commit my spirit ; thou hast redeemed
me, Lord Grod of truth ;"f " I will behold thy
face in righteousness : I will be satisfied, when
I awake, with thy likeness ;"; and with Simeon,
" Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in
peace according to thy word ; for mine eyes
have seen thy salvation."
Such is the peaceful end of the Christian's
mortal career. He dies in peace. He passes
the swellings of Jordan, cheered by the Sav-
iour's presence, and animated by the manifes-
tation of his love. It is in the trying hour of
death, when flesh and heart fail, that the love of
Christ is amazingly manifested to believers.
It is when the swellings of Jordan come al-
most over the poor believer's soul ; when he is
ready to sink benath the boisterous waves, that
Christ reveals to him his wonderful love, which
fills his heart with joy ; which enables him to
shout forth joyfully upon his bed, and be more
than a conqueror through Him that loved us.
" Let the saints be joyful in glory : let them
sing aloud upon their beds."|| " Precious in
the sight of the Lord is the death of hia
saints." And at that solemn period, when the last
Acts vii 56. f Psalm xxxi. 6. \ Psalm xvii. 15
LcK* il 29 0. | Psalm cxlix. 5.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 93
sands of life are running out, when life's last
hour is closing, he visits them individually, and
unfolds the riches of his grace, and the wonders
of his love.
He whispers in their ears his gracious prom-
ises. " Fear not ; for I have redeemed thee, I
have called thee by thy name : thou art mine.
When thou passest through the waters, I will be
with thee ; and through the rivers, they shall
not overflow thee : when thou walkest through
the fire, thou shall not be burnt ; neither shall
the flame kindle upon thee."*
And they find him faithful to his promises ;
yes, when they tread the verge of Jordan, they
find him like the high priest of old, who bore
the ark of the covenant, standing in the midst
of the waters, that they may safely pass through
its proud waves to the heavenly Canaan, that
glorious land of promise the happy home of
the believers, the heaven of eternal rest. " Then
are they glad, because they be quiet: so he
bringeth them unto their desired haven."f
Jesus Christ, our blessed high priest, himself has
passed through the Jordan of death. He has
dipped his feet into this stream. He has rolled
back its swelling waves. He has made a safe
and easy passage for all his followers. Christian,
* Is. xlii. 12. f Psalm cvii. 80.
94 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
why then are you afraid to die, to plur ge into
this stream, when you see the very footprints
of 3^our Saviour in the bottom ?
" Who is he that condemneth ? It is Christ
that died."* His eyes have been closed in
death. 0, believer ! Christ has been laid in the
cold and silent grave before you. He has felt
the chill of death. But he has removed its
sting. Through death, he has destroyed him
that had the power of it. Fear not, death is a
vanquished foe. Christ says concerning his
people, " I will ransom them from the power oi
the grave. I will redeem them from death :
death ! I will be thy plague ; grave ! I will
be thy destruction. "f Christian, death cannot
hurt you. It is but a sure step into glory. Are
you in bondage through the fear of death?
Christ has delivered you from this bondage.
" Forasmuch, then, as the children are partakers
of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took
part of the same ; that through death he might
destroy him that had the power of death, that is,
the devil ; and deliver them, who, through fear
of death, were all their lifetime subject to
bondage.":]: Thus, the children of God are
safely conducted through death to mansions oi
glory, and awake amid the splendors of an im-
Rom. viii. 84. 4 Hosea xiii 14 J Heb. ii. 14 15
THE LOVE OF CliRIST. 95
mortal day. llow happy they, whc, when
walking through the valley of the shadow of
death find that Jesup is their friend and com-
paLJoa I
How glorious lie 1 how happy they,
In such a glorious friend!
Whose love secures them all the way,
And crowns them at the end.
Thus, while the believer is standing on the
verge of the grave, and looking back on his
past life, his past conflicts, his earthly pilgrim-
age, he can exclaim in the language of the
Apostle Paul, " I have fought a good fight, I
have finished my course, I have kept the faith ;"
and as he looks forward into a vast eternity,
and sees the rich rewards that are shortly to be
his, the kingdom that he is going to possess, the
crown of glory that is soon to be placed upon
his brow, he triumphantly adds, "Henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give
me at that day, and not to me only, but unto
all them also that love his appearing." At
least, he hears that happy approbation, and
joyful invitation, "Well done, good and faith-
ful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy
Lord."*
The solemn scene closes. The dark valley
* Matth. xxv 23.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST
is passed. Jordan is crossed. No more strug
gles. No more pain. No more tears of sorrow,
and affliction. No more death. "He will
swallow up death in victory ; and the Lord God
will wipe away tears from off all faces."* The
believer is " absent from the body, and present
with the Lord." Jn the Saviour's perfect love,
he rests, and finds his eternity of joy. In his
dying moments he could say, " God will redeem
my soul from the power of the grave ; for he
shall receive me." " For this God is our God,
for ever and ever ; he will be our guide, even
unto death." And he has experienced a happy
realization of these promises. That Saviour who
loved him in life, also manifests his love to him
in the hour of death. His love is abiding, it is
not subject to mutation ; it knows no change.
" Having loved his own which were in the world,
ne loved them unto the end."f
As the believer's mortal career is about to
terminate, the Saviour stands by him, and en-
circles him with the arms of his love. He sheds
abroad his love in the believer's heart. He sus-
tains him amid the agonies of dissolving nature.
He strengthens him by his grace. The dying
Christian cries, " My flesh and my heart faileth;
but God is the strength of my heart, and my
* IR xxv. 8.
f John xiii, 1.
I
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 97
portion for ever."* " For which cause we faint
not ; but though our outward man perish, yet
the inward man is renewed day by day."f
Thus he finishes his earthly course with joy.
His end is peace. " Mark the perfect man, and
behold the upright ; fbr the end of that man is
peace.";]: With him all is calm, and peaceful.
The heavens are serene. The thunders of the
law are hushed. Calvary is in his eye. Around
him all is sprinkled with atoning blood. No
wonder, then, that he should die in peace ; for,
" being justified by faith," he has "peace with
God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." He has
obtained the victory over death, the last enemy.
Hence, many a dying Christian has been able to
say, with Dr. Goodwin, "Is this dying? Is
this the enemy that dismayed me so long, now
appearing so harmless, and even pleasant ?"
Not so with the end of the wicked. To him,
death is terrible ; the grave, gloomy ; and eter-
nity, dark. " The wicked is driven away in his
wickedness ; but the righteous hath hope in his
death." The death-bed of the Christian is a
glorious, happy place.
"The chamber where the good man meets his fate,
Is privileged beyond the common walk of virtuous lifc%
Quite on the verge of heaven." \
* Ps. Ixxiii. 26. f 2 Cor. iy. 1.
J Ps. xxxvii. 37 Prov sir. 32,
7
98 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
CHAPTER VIII.
fllfi LOVE OF CHRIST IN THE HOUR OF DEATH (COH
TINUED) ; THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES.
Seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud
of witnesses." Heb. xii. 1.
A GREAT many delightful records of the death
bed scenes of martyrs, ministers of Jesus Christ,
and private Christians, who have enjoyed the
presence of Christ in a dying hour, who have
felt his love manifested to them, and have re-
ceived his consolations, might be adduced to
corroborate the assertions we have already made,
and to confirm the truth, that Christ does thus
manifest his love to dying believers. We shall
introduce the following :
1. Lambert, a martyr under Henry VIII. ;
while he was cruelly mangled by the soldiers'
halberts, and consuming in a slow fire, raised his
burning hands arnid the flames, and, with a dis-
tinct voice, exclaimed, " None but Christ ; none
but Christ !"
2. Lawrence Saunders, suffered martyrdom
under the " bloody Queen Mary." He kissed
the stake at wlroh he was bound, and erred
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 99
aloud, "Welcome the cross of Christ! Wei
come the cross of Christ 1 Welcome life ever
lasting 1"
3. John Knox, the Scottish Keformer's dying
words, were, " Come, Lord Jesus, sweet Jesus !
into thy hands I commend my spirit." Again
he said, " I have tasted of the heavenly joys
where presently I shall be ! Now, for the last
time, I commit soul, body, and spirit into his
hands." Uttering a deep sigh, he said, " Now
it is come !" His attendant desired him to give
his friends a sign that he died in peace. On
this he waved his hand, and uttering two deep
sighs, he fell asleep in Jesus.
4. John Welch, the son-in-law of John Knox,
was one of the most eminent ministers that the
Church of Scotland ever produced. He died in
great joy. On his death-bed, he seemed to feel
himself on the very threshold of glory : he was
filled and overpowered with the sensible man-
ifestations of God's love and glory. His last
words were uttered in an ecstasy of joy : " It ia
enough, Lord, it is now enough : hold thy
hand ; thy servant is a clay vessel, and can hold
no more !"
5. Samuel Kutherford, professor of divinity
m the University of St. Andrew's, was one of
the most resplendent lights that ever rose in
Scotland, He died a triumphant death. In his
100 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
last moments, he was favored with a most won
derful manifestation of Christ's love. He felt
that Christ was with him, and that he man-
ifested his grace to him ; and he was, through
that manifested love and grace, enabled to ex-
claim with his dying breath, " There is none
like Christ. I feel, I feel, I believe, I joy, I re-
joice, I feed on manna ! My eyes shall see my
Redeemer, and I shall be ever with him ? And
what would you more ? I have been a sinful
man ; but I stand at the best pass that ever a
man did. Christ is mine, and I am his ! Glory,
glory, to my Creator and Kedeemer forever 1
Glory shines in Immanuel's land 1 O for arms
10 embrace him! for a well-tuned harp/ ;
He continued exulting in God his Saviour tc
the last, as one in full vision of joy and glory
At length he entered into the joy of his Lord.
1 In vain my fancy strives to paint
The moment after death ;
The glories that surround the saints,
When yielding up their breath.
"One gentle sigh their fetters breaks;
We scarce can say * They're gsne,'
Before the willing spirit takes
Her mansion near the throne."
6. JRev. James Durham, on his dying bed,
was at first in much darkness of his mind. He
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 101
said to a friend, " For all that I nave preached
and written, there is but one scripture that I can
think of, or dare to lay hold of. Tell me, bro-
ther, if I may dare lay the weight of my salva-
tion on it: "Whosoever cometh unto me, I
will in nowise cast out 1' " " That you may de-
pend on," said the minister in reply, " though
you had a thousand salvations at hazard!"
Having remained some time in silence, he at
length came joyfully from beneath the dark
cloud, and cried, in a rapture of joy, " Is not
the Lord good ? Is he riot infinitely good ?
See how he smiles ! I do say it, and I do pro-
claim it!"
7. The noble Marquis of Argyle, on the
morning of his execution, while settling his
worldly business, was so overpowered by the
manifestation of divine love and goodness, that
he broke out in a holy rapture, and said, "I
thought to have concealed the Lord's goodness ;
but it will not do. I am now ordering my af-
fairs; and God is sealing my charter to my
heavenly inheritance, and is just now saying to
me, Son, be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven
thee!"
8. James Guthrie, a godly minister, the com-
panion of the noble Argyle, exclaimed, when on
the scaffold, "Jesus is my light and life, my
righteousness my strength and salvation } and aD
102 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
my desire I Him, Him do I commend with
all my soul unto you. Bless Him, my soul,
now and forever! Now, Lord, lettest thou
thy servant depart in peace ; for mine eyes .have
seen thy salvation."
9. The pious Hervey closed his life in peace.
His last words were: " How thankful am I for
death ! It is the passage to the Lord and Giver
of eternal life. welcome, welcome death I
Thou mayest well be reckoned among the treas-
ures of a Christian : to live is Christ ; to die, is
gain! Lord, now lettest thou thy servant de~
part in peace ; for mine eyes have seen thy sal-
vation !" Then he fell asleep in Jesus. Oh,
what a happy death ; to die unto the Lord to
sleep in Jesus !
10. William Eomaine was an eminent preacher
of the gospel of Jesus, and died a joyful death.
He had the love of Christ in his heart ; and He
was very precious to him in the hour of death.
" I have," said he, " the peace of God in my
conscience, and the love of God in my heart.
Jesus is more precious than rubies; and all that
can be desired on earth, is not to be compared
to him." Being near his dissolution, he cried
out, " Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty !
Glory be tu thee on High, for such peace on
earth, and good will to men." One time he said,
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
103
" I have much of the* presence of Jesus with
me."
11. Kev. Dr. Doddridge, an eminent servant
of Christ, said, on his death-bed, " I am full of
confidence : there is a hope set before me ; I
have fled ; I still fly for refuge to that hope.
In him I trust. In him I have strong consola-
tion, and shall assuredly be accepted in the be-
loved of my soul."
12. The immortal Baxter closed his course
full of joy and peace. To some ministers around
him, he said, "I have peace, I have peace!"
" You are now drawing near your long-desired
home," said one. "I believe, I believe," was
the reply. When the question was put to him,
" How are you ?" he promptly answered, " Al-
most well !" To a friend who entered the c ham
her, he said, "I thank you, I thank you for
coming." Then fixing his eye on him, he added,
" The Lord teach you how to die !" These
were his last words.
13. John Janeway, a young minister of Eng-
land, died one of the most triumphant Chris-
tian deaths on record. Not a word dropped
from his lips, which <Jid not breathe of Christ
and heaven. His Saviour was with him in the
daik vale; the arms of Christ supported him;
the Jove and smiles of Christ cheered his depart
in^ soul, and made death itstlf sweet to him
104
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
He brake out in such words as these : i! 0, he is
x>me! he is come! 0, how glorious is the
blessed Jesus 1 How shall I speak the thou-
sandth part of his praises I for words to set
out a little of that excellency ; but it is inex-
pressible ! 0, my friends, come look upon a
dying man, and wonder I I myself cannot but
wonder! Was there ever greater kindness?
Were there ever such manifestations of rich
grace ? O, why me, Lord ; why me ? If this
be dying, dying is sweet ! Let no Christian be
afraid of dying. 0, death is sweet to me ! This
bed is soft! Christ's arms, his smiles, his vis-
its ; sure they would turn hell into heaven !
What are all human pleasures compared to ouo
glimpse of his glory, which shines so strongly on
rny soul? I shall soon be in eternity: I shall
soon see Christ himself, who died for me, who
loved me, and washed me in his blood ! I shall
soon mingle in the hallelujahs of glory! Me-
thinks I hear the melody of heaven, and by
faith I see the angels waiting to carry me to the
bosom of Jesus, and I shall be forever with the
Lord ! And who can choose but rejoice in all
this?"
Often he would say, " 0, that I could but let
you know what I now feel! 0, that I could
express the thousandth part of that sweetness
that I now f.nd i Christ ! Y a would all then
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 105
ji it well worth while to make it your busi-
ness to be religious. 0, my dear friends, we
little think what Christ is worth upon a death-
bed 1 I would not for a world, nay, for millions
of worlds, be now without Christ and pardon."
To those around him, he said, " that glory,
the unspeakable glory that I behold ! My heart
is full ; my heart is full ! Christ smiles, and I
cannot but smile. The arms of my blessed
Saviour are open to embrace me; the angels
stand ready to carry my soul into his bosom.
0, did you see what I see, you would all cry
out with me, * How long, dear Lord ? Come,
Lord Jesus, come quickly!' 0, why are his
chariot wheels so long in coming? I do so
long to be with Christ, that T couiu be contented
to be cut in pieces, and to be put to the most
exquisite torments, so that I might but die and
be with Christ. O, how sweet is Jesus ! ' Come,
Lord Jesus, come quickly P Death, do thy
worst. Death has lost its terribleness. Death I
it is nothing to me ! Death is nothing (through
grace) to me. I can as easily die, as shut my
eyes, or turn my head and sleep. I long to be
with Christ : I long to die."
To his Christian friends who came to see him,
he said, " help me to praise God, I have no-
thing else to do, from this time to eternity, but
to praise and love God 1 O, praise, praise,
106 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
praise, that infinite boundless iove that hain io
a wonder, looked upon my soul, and done r.ioie
for me than for thousands of his children 1
Bless the Lord, my soul, and all that is within
me, bless his holy name ! Help me, help me,
my friends, to praise and admire him that hath
done such astonishing wenders for my soul :
he hath pardoned all my sins ; he hath filled
me with his goodness ; he hath given me grace
and glory, and no good thing hath he withheld
from me."
On another occasion, he uttered such words
as these, " Admire God forever and ever, ye
redeemed ones ! 0, those joys, the taste of which
I have ! The everlasting joys which are at his
right hand forever more 1 Eternity, eternity
itself is too short to praise God in. bless the
Lord with me! Corne, let us shout for joy,
and boast in the God of our salvation. O, help
me to praise the Lord, for his mercy endureth
forever." Again he said, "I shall presently
behold Christ himself that died for me, and
loved me, and washed me in his own blood. I
shall, before a few hours are over, be in eternity,
singing the song of Moses, and the song of the
Lamb. I shall presently stand upon Mount
Zion, with an innumerable company of angels,
and the spirits of the just made perfect, and Jesus
the mediator of the new covenant. I shall hear
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 107
the voice of much people, and be one arncngst
them, who shall say, hallelujah, salvation, glory,
honor and power, unto the Lord our God ! And
yet a little while, and I shall sing unto the
Lamb a song of praise, saying, Worthy art thou
to receive praise, who wert slain, and hast re-
deemed us to God by thy blood, out of every
kindred and tongue, and people, and nation,
and hast made us unto our God, kings and
priests, and we shall reign with thee forever and
ever."
A few hours before his death, he said, " And
now, dear Lord, my work is done. I have fin-
ished my course, I have fought the good fight ;
and henceforth there remaineth for me a crown
of righteousness. Now come, dear Lord Jesus,
come quickly." At length his course was com-
pleted, and this lovely servant of the Lord fell
asleep in Jesus.
14. The great Thomas Haly burton, one of the
most learned divines of Scotland, and professor
of divinity in the University of St. Andrew's,
breathed out his soul to God in a triumphant
death. The following were his last words : "I
dare look death in the face, in its most ghastly
shape, and hope soon to have the victory over
it. Glory, glory to him I 0, what of God do I
see I I have never seen any thing like it. The
beginning and the end cf religion are wonder-
108 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
fully sweet ! I long far his salvation : I bless
his name, I have found him ! I am taken up in
blessing him ; I am dying rejoicing in the
Lord! 0, I could not have believed that I
should bear, and bear cheerfully, as I have
donej this rod which hath lain long on me.
This is a miracle! Pain without pain! You
see a man dying ; a monument of the glorious
power of astonishing grace !" Some time after,
he said, " When I shall be so weak as no longer
to be able to speak, I will, if I can, give you a
sign of triumph when I am near to glory." He
did so : for when one said, " I hope you are
encouraging yourself in the Lord," being now
unable to speak, he lifted up his hands and
clapped them, and in a few moments expired.
15. Mr. Augustus M. Toplady closed a long
and eminently holy life, by a very triumphant
death. He said, "O how this soul of mine
longs to be gone: like an imprisoned bird, it
longs to take its flight. 0, that I had the wings
of a dove, I should flee away to the realms of
bliss, and be at rest forever! I long to be ab-
sent from the body, and present with the Lord."
At another time he said, " what a day of sun-
shine has this been to me ! I have no words to
express it ; it is unutterable ! O, my friends,
how good our God is ! Almost without inter-
ruption his presence has been with me." Being
THE LOVE OP CHRIST. 109
near his end, he said, " what delights ! Who
can fathom the joys of the third heavens I"
And just before he expired, he said, " The sky is
clear; there is no cloud; come, Lord Jesus,
come quickly !"
16. Eev. Thomas Scott, the commentator, died
a happy, triumphant death. The love of Christ
filled his soul ; and his dying bed may be said
to have been sublimely Christian 1 Among the
last words he uttered were these, " Lord support
me I Lord Jesus receive my spirit 1 Christ is
rny all ! He is my only hope ! to realize the
fullness of joy ! O, to have done with tempta-
tion ! This is heaven begun ! I have done with
darkness forever ! Satan is vanquished ! Noth
ing remains but salvation with eternal glory,
eternal glory I"
17. Dr. Condict, President of Queen's (now
Eutger's) College, New Jersey, was known to
be much afraid of death, but he died triumph-
antly. Eaising himself from .his pillow, he
stretched out his quivering hands, and ex-
claimed, "I have fought a good fight, I have
finished my course, I have kept the faith:
henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
Judge, shall give me." Then he added, "Let
us pray ;" and having uttered a brief and solemn
prayer, he gently leaned "back on his pillow, and
110 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
closing his eyes with his own hands, soon fell
asleep in Jesus.
18. Dr. Dwight, President of Yale College,
closed his useful life by a peaceful and happy
death. He requested his brother to read to him
the 17th chapter of John. While listening tc
the latter verses of that chapter, he exclaimed.
" 0, what triumphant truths 1" Some one re-
cited to him a part of the 23d Psalm, and asked
him, " Can you now say, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no
evil, for thou art with me ?" He replied, " I hope
so." He died in peace, cheered by his Saviour's
presence and love.
19. Dr. Edward Payson was an eminent
Christian, and a devoted minister of the Lord.
He died a most triumphant death. When about
to finish his course, 'he thus commenced a letter :
" Dear sister, were I to adopt the figurative lan-
guage of Bunyan, I might date this letter from
the land of Beulah, of which I have been for
some weeks a happy inhabitant. The celestial
city is full in my view : its glories beam upon
me ; its breezes fan me ; its odours are wafted
to me ; its sounds strike upon my ears, and its
spirit is breathed into my heart. Nothing
separates me from it but the river of death,
which new appears but as an insignificant rill
that may be crossec at a single step, whenever
THE LOVE OF CHKIST. Ill
God shall g'.ve permission. The Sun of righte-
ousness has been gradually drawing neaier and
nearer, appearing larger and brighter as he ap-
proached ; and now fills the whole hemisphere,
pouring forth a flood of glory, in which I seem
to float like an insect in the beams of the sun,
exulting, yet almost trembling, while I gaze on
this excessive brightness, and wondering with
unutterable wonder why Go'd should deign thus
to shine upon a sinful worm. A single heart,
and a single tongue, seem altogether inadequate
to my wants : I want a whole heart for every
separate emotion, and a whole tongue to express
that emotion."
Among the last wojds of this excellent and
pious divine, are the following: "A young man,
when about to leave the world, exclaimed, ' The
battle's fought, the battle's fought; but the
victory is lost forever!' But lean say, The
battle's fought, the battle's fought, and the vic-
tory is won ! The victory is won forever ! ]
am going to bathe in an ocean of purity, and
benevolence, and happiness, to all eternity 1"
Again : " Hitherto I have viewed God as a
fixed star; bright indeed, but often intercepted
by clouds. But now he is coming nearer and
nearer ; and he spreads into a sun so vast, and
so glorious, that the sight is too dazzling for
Hesh and blood t - sustain !"
112
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
On one occasion, when ^boring under very
acute pains, he exclaimed, "These are God's
arrows ; but they are sharpened with love."
Once he exclaimed, "Victory, victory! Peace,
peace 1"
The last words he was heard to whisper, were
these: "Faith and patience, hold out!" Thus
died Dr. Payson ; and he has left a glorious
testimony to the truth of the religion of Jesus.
20. Harlan Page* was an eminent Christian,
and used great personal efforts for the souls of
individuals ; and in his death, Christ was with
him. "A death-bed," said he, "is a precious
place, when we have the presence of Christ
then to wake to a glorious immortality." Again :
" I feel as if I had got half way home. I cannot
bear to stop. It 'would be a pity to have the
flesh return on these limbs again."
Again he said: "I commit myself to thee,
Jesus, Saviour of sinners. O the infinite love
of Christ ! I may stop my mouth, and lie in the
dust." He appeared to feel that he had obtained
a new view of the love of Christ ; therefore he
said, " It seems as if I never kne*,v before what
it was to love him. 0, who can help loving
each a Iplessed Saviour I"
* See a very in cresting memoir of this holy man, by W.
. Hallock, publish 3d by the American Tract Society.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
113
Again lie repeated these words: ' when
shall I go home? How long must I be bur-
dened with this body ! The Lord knows how
much suffering I need, to prepare me for his
kingdom."
A little before his death, he exclaimed,
"Home! home!" and prayed: "0 for a free
nd full discharge ! Lord Jesus, come quickly !
Why wait thy chariot wheels so long ? I dedi-
cate myself to thee. may I have the victory I
come quickly! Come, Lord Jesus, come
quickly!"
21. David Brainerd died a happy death. With
perfect composure of mind, this eminent servant
of God saw the approaches of dissolution. To
him, death was not an enemy, but a friend : it
was the long expected messenger, sent to convey
him home to his heavenly Father's house ; and
he would exclaim, u Oh ! why is the chariot
so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels
of his chariot? Come, Lord Jesus; come
quickly!" In this happy frame of mind, he
expired.
22. Kev. Eisdon Darracott, an eminent ser
vant of the Lord Jesus Christ, said on his death-
bed, " I am going to that Jesus whom I love,
and whom I have so often preached. Come,
Lord Jesus, come quickly! Why are thy
chariot wheels- so long a coming?" The nigbi
114
THE LOVE OF CHKIST.
before lie died, he said, " what a good God
have I in Christ Jesus ! I would praise him,
but my lips cannot. Eternity will be too short
to speak his praises." He related his experience
of the goodness of God to him during his sick-
ness, and said, "If I had a thousand lives to
live, I would live them all for Christ. I have
cast anchor on him, and rely on his blood, and
am going to venture my all upon him. There
is nothing on earth I desire ! Here I am wait-
ing ! What a mercy to be in Jesus !" He then
threw abroad his arms, and exclaimed, " He is
coming! he is coming! But surely this can't
be death ! how astonishingly is the Lord
softening my passage ! Surely God is too good
to such a worm ! speed thy chariot wheels !
Why are they so long in coming? I long to be
gone." At length he fell asleep in Jesus, whom
'ie so much loved, and who manifested such
tender love to him in the hour of death.
23. Mrs. Catharine Brettergh, a singular
Christian of Lancashire, (England,) was blessed
to die a comfortable and joyful death. The fol-
lowing were some of her last words: "0 the
joys that I feel in my soul ! O my sweet Sav-
iour, shall I be one with thee, as thou art one
with the Father? wonderful is thy love to
me, who am but dust ! To make such as me
partaker of thy glory ! that my tongue and
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 115
eart were able to sound forth thy praises as I
ought!"
24. The amiable and pious Hannah Hous-
man, when on her death-bed, often said, with
smiles in her face, and transports of joy : " Come,
Lord Jesus; come quickly! Why tarry the
wheels of thy chariot? 0, blessed convoy!
come and fetch my soul, to dwell with God, and
Christ, and perfect spirits, forever and ever
When I join that blessed society above, my
pleasures will never end. 0, the glory, the glory
that shall be set on the head of faith and love I '
25. Jeremiah Evarts, so well known by every
friend of missionaries, died a triumphant death.
Feeling the love of Christ in his last moments,
he broke out into* rapturous expressions : " Praise
him, praise him r praise him in a way which you
know riot of." Some one said to him, " You
will soon see Jesus as he is, and know how to
praise him." He replied, " wonderful, won-
derful, wonderful glory! We cannot compre-
hend . . . wonderful glory ! I will praise him :
I will praise him ! Wonderful .... glory ....
Jesus reigneth !"
26. Richard Cecil often exclaimed on his
duath-bed, with the martyr Lambert, " None but
Christ; none but Christ!" As he drew nearer
to death, Jesus Christ was his only topic ; and a
<*h >rt time before he died, he requested one of
116 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
his family to write down for him in a book the
following sentence : " 4 None but Christ, none
Lut Christ,' said Lambert, dying at the stake :
the same, in dying circumstances, with his whole
heart, saith Kichard Cecil."
27. The Eev. John Kees, of London, uttered
the following words on his death-bed : " Christ
in his person, Christ in the love of his heart, and
Christ in the power of his arm, is the rock on
which I rest; and now," (reclining his head on
the pillow,) "Death, strike!"
28. Mrs. Hannah Woodd, mother of the Eev
Basil Woodd, repeated the following words,
when near her dissolution: "Oh! I am very
happy! I am going to my mansion in the
skies. Thank God, I have a hope built on the
Rock of ages. I am dying, but I am going to
glory. 1 shall see Him as he is. I shall be for
ever near him, and behold his face. Blessed be
God ! Blessed be God !"
29. Mrs. M. M. Atthans, an excellent Chris-
tian lady, left this testimony to the cause of
Christianity : " I bless God, I have not one fear
concerning dying. That Almighty Lord, who
has so wonderfully preserved me to the present
moment, will not forsake me in my last extrem-
ity. No : when flesh and heart fail, he will be
the strength of mj k^art and my portion for*
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 117
80. We shall close our records of triumphant
deaths,, with an account of the last hours of a
remarkably pious young lady, who lately went
to glory ; and whose death-bed scene, it was the
privilege of the author to witness.
He had often read 'accounts of the triumphant
deaths of believers, but never before had he seen
such an illustrious exhibition of divine grace,
and love, manifested to a saint, in the hour of
death.
Not till then, did he feel that there was such
power in the religion of Jesus, to sustain, and to
cheer in the hour of dissolution. This young
lady had been confined to a bed of severe suffer-
ing for one year. At last her soul was ripened
for glory. The time came that she must die
and her death-bed was a scene of triumph.
Christ was very precious to her ; and his love
was wonderfully manifested to her soul. She
often exclaimed, " My beloved is mine,, and I am
his."*
The following are among her last words. To
her distant brother she thus dictated a letter
"Dear brother, I know not whether I shall
meet you again on earth ; but I hope to meet
you in heaven, where we shall be forever sing-
ing the praises of God; where the Lamb, which
Cant .i 16.
118 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
is in the midst of the throne, shall feed ua, and
lead us unto living fountains of waters, and
where God shall wipe away all tears from OUT
eyes."
To her father, who said to her, " I fear I must
lose you ;" she replied, " Your loss will be my
gain ! I have a building of God, a house, not
made with hands, eternal in the heavens." And
again when he said, I think you will fall asleep
in Jesus ;" she responded, "It- will be a happy
change."
As her friends were standing around her
dying bed, she said to a brother, "Have you any
words to say ?" He immediately repeated Psalm
xxiii. 4 : " Yea, though I walk through the val-
ley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
for thou art with me ; thy rod and thy staff they
comfort me." These words vere very reviving
to her. She seemed to feel that Christ was with
her in that trying moment, that his love was
shed abroad in her heart ; for, turning herself
she exclaimed in a transport of joy, " Oh 1 I
would not give up Christ for a!l the world 1"
" Whom have I in the heavens high,
But thee, Lord, alone ?
And ir the earth whom. I desire,
Beside thee there is none."
"I hope that I shaP meet you all in heaven,
THE LOVE OF C H K I S T. 119
where we shall be forever with the Lord. 7 * She
wished that Christ might be praised; and that
he might be magnified by her dying breath
To her brother she said, " I hope you may live
with Christ, and praise him throughout the
endless ages of eternity."
She was asked by one, if, during her sickness
she had not often experienced something like
heaven upon earth. She replied that she had.
Her earthly course being nearly finished^ she
opened her eyes, which were soon to be closed
in death, and in the language of strong, un-
shaken faith, exclaimed with Job, " I know that
my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at
the latter day upon the earth : and though after
my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my
flesh shall I see God : whom I see for myself,
and mine eyes shall behold, and not another,
though my reins be consumed within me."*
Once she broke out into a rapture and exclaimed,
"0, to be ever with the Lord, what a happy
change !"
A little while before her death, one said to
her, " It is a happy thing when the believer can
say, when about to leave the world, * I have fin-
ished the work which thou gavest me to do.'
She said yes ; and added, (though with great dif-
v Job xix. 26-27 *
120
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
ficulty, her breath being almost gone,) ''I am
now ready to be offered, and the time of my de-
parture is at hand. I have fought a good fight,
E have finished my course. I have kept the
faith : henceforth there is laid up for me a crown
of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
Judge, shall give me at that day; and not to
me only, but unto all them also that love his
appearing."
Her faith remained firm unto the end, and her
hope and confidence unshaken to the last. Her
sky was clear and serene, her mind calm and
composed, and thus she fell asleep in Jesus, and
entered into the joy of her Lord.
As the writer gazed upon the solemn scene
before him, he could not but feel the force of
Revelation xiv. 13, " Blessed are the dead which
die in the Lord." A few days before this young
lady died, she requested the following verses to.
be read at her funeral. They are too beautiful,
and impressive to be omitted here.
"TO MY YOUNG COMPANIONS.
"My youthful mates, both small and great,
Stand here, and you shall see,
An awful sight, which is a type
Of what you soon must be.
** I used to appear once fresh and fair
Among the youthful crowd ;
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 12 J
But now behold me deai and ;uij
Wrapped in a sable earourl
' My cheeks once red, like '-o
My sparkling eyes so gay ;
But now you see how 'tis with in*
A lifeless lump of clay.
"When you ars dressed in aa your becU
In fashion so complete,
You soon must be as you see iut
Wrapped in a winding sheet
" Ah, youth beware, and do prepare
To meet the monster, death
For he may come when you are vonng.
And steal away your breath
* When you unto your frolics gc
Remember what I say ;
In a short time, though in your orun**
You may be called away.
" Now I am gone, I can't return
No more of me you'll see ;
But it is true that all of you
Must shortly follow me.
" When you unto my grave do go,
The gloomy place to see,
I say to you who stand and view,
Prepare to follow me."
And now, reader, can you not say, " bet me
die the death of the righteous, and let my last
end be like his ! How important is it then that
you should now choose Christ, in order that you
122 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
may enjoy his love and presence not only
through life, but also in the hour ol 'eath I If
you belong to Christ, you will find 'urn, in the
last hour of life, a iriend that stlcxeth closer
than a brother.
What an awful thing it is to die without sal-
vation by Christ, without an interest in him ; and
yet millions live without God, and without hope
in the world ; and millions more die in the same
awful condition, and plunge into a dark and
miserable eternity. 0, be admonished to choose
Christ in time, and he will be yours in death,
and in eternity.
How unspeakably blessed it is to enjoy the
love and smiles of Christ in a dying hour!
Then what can the world do for you? The
tears of your friends, and the exertions of your
physicians, will then be unavailing.
It is Christ alone that can make a dying-bed
easy and comfortable. His love and presence
will sustain you, and his almighty arms support
you,
"Though unseen by human eye,
The Redeemer's hand is nigh :
He has poured salvation's light
Far within the vale of night
There will God my steps control,
There his presence bless my soul.
Lord whate'er my sorrows be,
Teach me I > look up to thee "
THE LOVE- OF C H K I S T. 123
lie who is thus with you," says an excel-
lent writer, " will afford all needful comfort and
support in the trying hour. He will open at
that time treasures of grace and strength, to
which you had been previously a stranger. The
Redeemer himself is present, not only to guide
his saints, but to infuse that comfort and vigor
which will abundantly compensate for the sink-
ings of expiring nature. Who but those who
have entered heaven, can tell what unearthly
joys are vouchsafed the saint in a dying hour ?
Often, there is reason to believe, they transcend
every thing possessed in the present life. There
may be visions of glory realized by the spirit,
which are second only to those of heaven. The
dying experience of many saints has been of the
most delightful kind. Whether such hopes and
joys as were afforded to Jane way and others,
will be vouchsafed to you, you know not ; nor
is it necessary you should know. Whatever is
needful for you in a dying hour, Christ will
bestow. He says, ( My grace is sufficient for
thee."* Eemember, that he has said, "Fear
not, I am he that liveth, and was dead ; and be-
hold, I am alive for evermore, amen ; and have
the keys of hell and of death."f
When we contemplate those, whose deaths we
* 2 Cor. xii. 9. f Rev. i. 17, 13
124: THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
have recorded in this volume, we may justly
say, " These all died in faith :" and, let us also
be " followers of them who through faith and
patience inherit the promises."* "Wherefore,
seeing we also are compassed about with so
great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset
us, and let us run with patience the race that is
set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and
finisher of our faith."f
If you belong to Christ, he will love you in
life, in death, and in that happy home, which
his love has prepared for you.
In conclusion, Christian reader, you will soon
exchange the abodes of mortality for the regions
of bliss. Then look beyond the grave. Do not
confine your thoughts to this gloomy place.
Contemplate the sublime raptures of your future
existence beyond the precincts of time. Christ
shall one day break the slumbers of the grave,
and you will arise to immortality.
The love of Christ does not stop at death. It
extends beyond this solemn period. It will ac-
company you into the heavenly world: your
everlasting happy home: and you will soon
arrive there. From the valley of the shadow
of death you shall ascend to the summit of Zion,
*Heb. vi. 12. f Heb xii - 3, 2.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 125
You shall " Come unto Mount Sion, and i nto
the city of the living God, the heaven! y Jeru-
salem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
to the general assembly and church of the first-
born, which are written in heaven, and to God
the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men
made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the
new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling,
that speaketh better things than that of Abel."*
For the darkness of mortality, you shall obtain
the bright glories of heaven. " Thine eyes
shall ?ee the King in his beauty ; they shall be-
hold the land that is very far off."f You will
possess the promised land, the heavenly Canaan.
Then shall the days of your mourning be ended.
Raised in the likeness of your blessed Kedeemer,
you shall, finally, be presented faultless before
the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.
Entering the fair mansions of glory, you shall
reign with your glorified Redeemer, forever and
ever. ! happy issue to the Christian's short
pilgrimage on earth !
With such cheering prospects to be realized,
can you not also say, in the prospect of death,
with many dying saints, " I have a desire to
depart, and to be with Christ. Amen. Even
BO ; come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!"
Heb. xii. 22-24 f Is. xxxiii. 17.
126 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
In the following chapters we shall contem-
plate that happy home which Christ, in his
great love for a lost world, has now gone to pre-
pare for his children. " For we know that if
our earthly house of this tabernacle were dis-
solved, we have a building of God, a house not
made with hands, eternal in the heavens.''*
"How happy is the (tying saint*
"Whose sins are all forgiven ;
With joy he passes Jordan^ flood,
Upheld by hopes of heaven.
'The Saviour, whom he truly lov'd.
Now cheers him by his grace;
A glory gilds his dying bed,
And beams upon his face.
"Ecstatic joy and heavenly bliss
Swell his enraptured heart;
He views the promis'd land of rest,
And pants for his depart
"Terror and dread are both unknown;
Sweet peace and hope appear,
To guide the blessed traveller home,
And all his footsteps cheer.
"Angels of light attendant wait
His spirit to convey
Beyond this drear abode of night,
To realms of endless day.
Cor. v. L
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 127
" Oh ! may I live the life of faith,
Abound in holy love,
Till death shall bear my joyful soul
To Zion's courts above."
128 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
CHAPTER IX.
TBE HAPPY HOME IN VIEW.
" In my Fathers House are many mansions : I go to pro
pare a place for you." JOHN xiv. 2.
" Aa wiien the weary trav'iler gains
The height of some o'er-looking bill,
His heart revives, if cross the plains
He eyes his home, though distant stil;
\ ** While lie surveys the much loved spot,
He slights the space that lies between ;
His past laugues are now forgot,
Because his journey's end i seen.
"Thus when tne Christian pilgrim viewa
By faith, Ins mansion in the skies,
The sight his fainting strength renews,
And wings his speed to reach the priz&
"The thougnt, or tiome his spirit cheers,
No more he grieves for troubles past ;
Nor any future trial fears,
So he may safe arrive at last.
: Tis there ne says i am to dwell
With Jesus, in ih realms of day;
Then I shall r>i<J my cares farewell,
And he wli -ip e u.y tears away.
THE LOVE OF CHEIST. 129
" Jesus, on thee our hope depends,
To lead us on to thine abode ;
Assur'd our home will make amends
For all our toil while on the road." XEWTON.
Christ has not only manifested his love to a
lost world in his incarnation, sufferings, and
death, but also in going to prepare a place, a
happy home, for those whose salvation he has
accomplished. Said the blessed Eedeemer, to
his sorrowful disciples, when he was about to
leave the world, "I go to prepare a place for
you."*
Christ has manifested most amazing love to
believers, in preparing for their eternal abode,
mansions of glory, a house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens ; a city which hath foun-
dations, whose builder and maker is God.
Heaven is a prepared place for believers ; pre-
pared by Christ in his infinite love. The love
of Christ will make heaven a glorious, happy
abode indeed. Oh! what a happy home will
heaven be. Thither all the redeemed shall
finally assemble, to spend one eternal day in
the glorious presence of Immanuel. Who
can fully describe the joys of the Christian's
happy home ? Feeble mortals could not com-
prehend the description if it should be given.
* John xiv. 2
130 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
What human mind can conceive of tl e im
speakable blessedness which awaits the child of
God in that upper and better world, his happy
homel Dear believer, to know what heaven
really is, you must put off mortality. " Eye
hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have en-
tered into the heart of man the things which
God hath prepared for them that love him."*
Is not your happy home always in view?
Do you not long for the approach of that joyful
day, which will introduce you into the mansions
of glory bring you to your endless, happy
home? How short is the space that lies between
you and glory! The time, how short! Al-
ready is the night far spent. The dr, v* is at
hand; that blessed day which will bring each
weary Christian traveller home, and seat him in
his Father's house ; that house not made with
hands, in which there are many mansions.
The map of heaven is laid wide open for your
inspection. Often obtain a glimpse of the happy
land. Be always looking heavenward and home-
ward. Let heaven be always in your eye, and
the earth under your feet, and in a little while
God shall wipe away all tears : you will reach
your journey's end; then faith shall be turned
into vision, hope, into fruition, and you will
* 1 Cor. ii 9.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 131
be fully satisfied with the goodness of Grod'a
house.
As you now survey the glories of your happy
home, does not your heart exult at the prospect ?
And is not the thought of home at all times re-
freshing ? What name is more endearing than
home, sweet home ; around which so many hal-
lowed associations cluster ?
Christian, heaven is your only true home.
Here you have no continuing city nor place of
abode. The divine command is, "Arise ye,
and depart ; for this is not your rest."* " There
remaineth therefore a rest to the people of
God."f God has provided a better home for
you, than this polluted world. O, remember
that you are a stranger and pilgrim on earth.
Let your course be onward in the Christian's
journey. Quicken your pace on the road to
glory. Your happy home will not be always
in view : it will soon be in possession.
Reader, are you pressing forward to the Chris-
tian's happy home? Is heaven the home
which you expect to reach I Do you long to
arrive at those everlasting mansions in the skies?
Then let the hope of eternal glory elevate your
affections above all sublunary objects, " If ye
then be risen with Christ, seek those things
* Micah ii. 10. f Heb. iii. 9.
132 THE LOVE OF CHKIST.
which are above, where Christ sitteth on tho
right hand of God. Set your affections on
things above, not on things on the earth ; for ye
are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in
God. When Christ, who is our life, shall ap-
pear, then shall ye also appear with, him in
glory."*
The ultimate object of Christ's mediatorial
work is to bring sinners to glory to God's
house to the happy home : there they are to
live; there to reign forever; there to be ever
with the Lord. God will bring all his dear
children home to glory. Then he will jeceive
them, and be a father unto them, and they will
be his sons and daughters. They will be for-
ever with their kind heavenly Father with
their blessed elder Brother with prophets and
apostles with saints and angels with one an-
other. What a happy meeting ! What blessed
society will the saints enjoy ! Then they will
have gained the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus. They will receive those
crowns of glory which fade not away. They
shall be kings and priests unto God. They
3hall S3rve him day and night in his temple
above. Blest abode ! Delightful employment,
that of praising God! Happy theyl who aie
Col iii. 1-4,
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
133
to spend eternity in such a home ; contrasted
with the glories of which, this earth is darkness
itself
Christian, soon shall the interposing vail of
mortality be drawn aside, and you will behold
the glories of that land which no mortal pen
can now describe. But is heaven soon to be
your happy home ? Are you there to reign with
Jesus, in the realms of everlasting day ; there
to behold the uncreated glory of Immanuel?
Then how trifling should the transient concerns
of earth appear to you I You should smile at
the frowns of time. The angry tempest will
soon be over. The swelling waves of life's
ocean will soon rise no more. You will soon
have reached the desired haven of eternal rest,
the blessed shores of immortality, the happy
home ; and that home will more than compen-
sate for all the toil by the way.
" Soon will you reach the blest abode,
"Where happy pilgrims ever reign
Soon shall you see the face of God,
And all the bliss of heaven obtain :"
Live with your happy home always in view.
Let the glories of a coming eternity revive your
drooping spirits, amidst life's trials and life's
conflicts. The road to glory is but a short one.
A moment of time intervenes, and then eternal
184
THE LOVE OF CHKIST.
ages commence to roll away. After this moment
has passed, you will enter upon a state of end-
less felicity. Arrived at your happy home, you
will take up an everlasting song of praise ; you
will celebrate the victories of redeeming love,
through one unending day. You have over
come, through the blood of the Lamb. You
have been more than a conqueror, through him
that loved you. And now you shall stand a
monument of God's love, and mercy, and grace ;
you shall be made a pillar in his glorious tem-
ple above, whence there shall be no more going
out. You shall live with Christ, and praise
him throughout the endless ages of eternity.
You shall behold Immanuel in his unveiled
glory. You shall praise him for that unbounded
love, which has obtained for you immortal bliss.
0, Christian ! the love of Christ has procured
that unfading wreath of glory, which will one
day be entwined around your brow ; that radiant
diadem which you will forever wear. The love
">f Christ has prepared a happy home for your
reception, when this sublunary scene sha J have
vanished from your mortal vision.
All the happiness you enjoy in time ; and all
the glory that will crown you through eternity,
flow from the love of Christ. Make him your
boast in time, your all in all ; and may he be
formed in you, the hope of glory.
THE LOVE OF CHKIST. 135
Happy they I who have fled for refuge to the
world's Redeemer. He will carry them to glory.
Reader, may this precious Saviour be yours, in
life, in death, and in eternity. Conducted by
the Captain of your salvation, you will aiso reach
the Christian's happy home, and realize the joys
of a blessed immortality.
What glorious prospects are presented to the
eye of faith, the spiritual vision of the Christian !
He views the never-ending glories of the
heavenly kingdom ; and in that view he loses
the sight of terrestrial grandeur. He quickly
glides over the narrow stream of time ; till he
finds himself sailing on the vast unbounded
ocean of eternity, an eternity of blessedness.
He lifts his eyes to the hills, from whence cometh
his help; those everlasting hills which tower
aloft, beyond the swellings of Jordan ; beyond
the valley of the shadow of death. He expects
soon to reach the heights of Zion. " They go
from strength to strength, every one of them in
Zion appeareth before God."*
In the mean time, O my soul, meditate upon
the glories of thy happy home. What must be
the feelings of the Christian, when he views all
heaven as his cwn ; when he can claim all the
delights of the celestial paradise as his, and looks
* Psalm Ixxxiv. 7
136 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
upon the world to come as his eternal liappy
home I
Come, Christian, survey the happy land, your
everlasting home. Life is fast hastening away.
The oscillating tides of time are bearing you
onward and homeward. Every wave of life's
tempestuous ocean is only wafting you to the
happy shores of a blessed eternity. Then look
beyond this poor dying world ! Look at that
eternal home which Christ has prepared for
you ! View the celestial city, irradiated by the
glory of God and the Lamb ! See the pearly
gates, the golden streets, the shining inhabitants
of the New Jerusalem I The uncreated glory
of Grod will enlighten that city of everlasting
habitation, which the love of Christ has pre-
pared.
What a blessed habitation has Christ prepared
for believers ! What a glorious inheritance has
he promised them Come, my soul, and sur
vey it.
My soul, on Pis>gah's mount, ascend,
Where Moses once admiring stood ;
There view the promised land extend
Beyond the swelling Jordan's flood
" By faith survey the landscape o'ei
Where living waters gently flow;
Till earth usurp thy love no more ;
Till all thy lei: Iling passions glow
THE LOVE OP CHRIST. 137
M In that blessed region of delight,
The saints nor sin nor sorrow feel,
Eternal day excludes the night,
And all possess the spirit's seal.
"The ransomed soul in glory clad,
Shines brighter than meridian sun;
The weary pilgrim, now so sad,
There finds his toilsome journey done."
O my soul, rise and soar aloft to the heavenly
Canaan ! Mount up as upon eagles' wings, and
behold the king in his beauty, and the land
that is afar off. Leave the world to those who
seek their pleasures and happiness in its perish-
ing enjoyments, and set thy affections on things
above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of
God.
How the world recedes from your view, as
you obtain a glimpse of the heavenly land!
The short-lived pleasures of earth, and the
transient show of sublunary magnificence, no
longer fascinate the mind, as it gains a Pisgah
view of the Christian s endless happy home, the
glories of which baffle all description. The love
of Christ is most illustriously manifested to be-
lievers, in his going to prepare such a home for
them. O matchless love I that Jesus has not
only died for sinners, but has gone to prepare
mansions above, where they shall reign with
138 THE LOVE OF CHKIST.
him in eternal glory I Hasten on, joyful day,
when the redeemed of the Lord shall 3ome to
Zion with songs ; when ransomed sinners shall
commence to celebrate the wonders of redeeming
love in mansions of glory !
Look forward, Christian reader, to the con-
s' animation of your bliss. With joy antici-
pate the glories of the resurrection morning ; a
morning that will dawn upon the glorified saint,
without a single cloud to darken his beatific
vision, or obscure the glorious rays of the Sun
of righteousness, that will arise with healing in
his beams, and forever gladden the hearts of
millions of happy saints. What a happy day
will that be, when all the children of God shall
reach their everlasting home ; those mansions in
the skies, where all are perfectly blessed in the
full enjoyment of God through eternity !
Dear believer, in humble confidence in God,
wait with patience till the coming of the Lord
Jesus ; till you are brought into the full posses-
sion of the heavenly inheritance. " Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which, according to his abundant mercy, hath
begotten us again into a lively hope by the re-
surrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ; to an
inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that
fadeth not away ; reserved in heaven for you,
who are kept b} T the power of God through faith
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 189
ante salvation, ready to be revealed in the iast
time."*
Blessed Jesus I keep me by thy almighty
power through faith unto salvation. Spirit-
ualize my affections elevate my views to the
world of glory. Wean my heart from the fleet-
ing enjoyments of this mortal life, this perishing
earth. Satisfy me with thy goodness and mercy ;
visit me with thy salvation, and at last bring mo
home to thyself in glory.
" Then let my soul forever raise
The incense of adoring praise ;
And join the heavenly choirs above,
In sweetest songs of grateful love."
Header I look beyond this sublunary scene of
changing mortality.
" All, all on earth is shadow ; all beyond
Is substance. * * * *
How solid all, where change shall be no more!"
Soar aloft on the wings of faith, and roam in
imagination through the myriads of ages that
lie beyond the precincts of time ; and in those
regions of immortality prepared for the just,
may you realize the joys of endless life, of an
immortal existence, and of an inheritance before
which the splendor of a thousand worlds fades ;
* 1 Peter i. 3-6.
140
THE LOVE OF CHRIST,
which will endure when this earth and *L her
terrestrial glory shall have passed away, and
when the sun shall have cast his last rays, and
the stars have set in endless night !
" Life's theatre as yet is shut ; and death,
Strong death alone, can heave the massy bar,
This gross impediment of clay remove.
* * * * And spring to life,
The life of gods ; oh transport 1 and of man."
* Now unto him that is able to keep ^ ou from
falling, and to present you faultless before the
presence of his glory with exceeding joy ; to
the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and
majesty, dominion and power, both now and
ever, amen."*
* Jude i. 84 fcS.
THE LOVE OF CHKIST. 141
CHAPTER X.
THE HAPPY HOME CONTEMPLATED BEING WITH CHRIST
IN GLORY
" Father, I will that they also whom thou hast givea me, be with ma
where I am." JOHN xvii. 24.
"So shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 THESS. iv. 17.
In those blest Regions of delight,
Where Jesus is unveil'd to sight,
No mortal tongue can e'er express
The ransom'd sinner's blessedness.
WHAT morta: pen can describe the glowing
beauties of Immanuel's land ! What mortal
tongue can express the blessedness of the saints,
when gazing upon the heaven-bright glories of
Immanuel's form, and dwelling forever in his
glorious presence, under the resplendent beams
of the Sun of righteousness I This is what the
eye hath not seen ; what the ear hath not heard ;
what the heart of man has never conceived.
But yet this blessedness awaits all the saints,
and will abide with them through the incessant
flow of eternity's immeasurable ages. O, happy
thought !
Dear Christian reader, Christ has, in his infin-
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
ite love, now gone to prepare a place, an endloss
happy home for you ; but he will come again,
and receive you to himself. He will not always
leave you in this vale of tears. No : when this
short life is ended, you will " depart and be
with Christ;" you will dwell in the house of
the Lord forever. Christ will bring you to his
Father's house, where his glorious presence is
enjoyed without a medium. He will welcome
you to the mansions of glory, to the kingdom of
heaven. " Come, ye blessed of my Father, in-
herit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world."* " I go to prepare a
place for you ; and if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again and receive you unto
myself; that where I am, there ye may be
also."f
Thus spake our Saviour before he left this
world before he ascended to heaven from
Mount Olivet. But there is a day coming, when
that same Saviour shall break through the
clouds of heaven ; " when he shall come to be
glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all
them that believe in that day."
Job obtained a glimpse of this day. He
starts forward on the wings of faith, and be-
holds through the lapse of many ages the divine
Matth. xxv. 34.
THE LOVE OF CHKIST. 143
form of his Eedeemer. He sees him with his
very eyes. " I know, that my Redeemer liveth,
and that he shall stand at the latter day upon
the earth ; and though after my skin worms
destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see
God : whom I shall see for myself, and mine
eyes shall behold, and not another, though my
reins be consumed within me."*
Christ shall come again, to gather his children
home, to that place which he has prepared for
them. Then shall the word of command, issued
from his blessed lips, go forth: "Gather my
saints together unto me, those that have made a
covenant with me by sacrifice. For the Lord
himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall
rise first : then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air ; and so shall
we ever be with the Lord."f Then shall we be
ever in his presence, where there is fullness of
joy and pleasure forever.
It is Christ's presence that will make the very
heaven of happiness, the very centre of felicity.
It is being with Christ that will constitute tho
purest, brightest, noblest heaven. What would
* Job xix. 25-27. f 1 Thess. iv. 16, 17
t
144 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
heaven be to the saints, did they not enjoy tne
presence of Christ ? It would be no heaven to
them, though they were surrounded with tho
glories of the New Jerusalem
Blessed Jesus ! may we be going up through
this wilderness world, leaning upon thee ; walk-
ing by faith ; loving and serving thee ; and may
we finally be brought to behold thy glorious
face in the realms of light, in the paradise above,
and be ever with thee.
" What is the world, but grief and caref
What heaven, if thou be absent there?
Thy glorious face illumes the sky,
And sheds ecstatic joys on high."
It is in the presence of Christ, that we will
participate in those pleasures which are at God's
right hand. "In thy presence is fullness of
joy : at thy right hand, there are pleasures for
evermore."*
Oh ! to be ever with the Lord ! What human
mind can comprehend the blessedness of such a
state ? Christ knows this blessedness ; and how
fervently he prays, " Father, I will that they
also whom thou hast given me be with me where
I am, that they may behold my glory which
thou hast given me."f This prayer will be an-
swered. We shall soon be with Christ. We
Paalm xvL 11, ,* John xvii. 24.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 145
shall soon behold his glory. Then shall we see
Him as he is; even Him who loved us, and
washed us from our sins in his own blood ; who
died on Calvary for us ; whose blessed hands,
and side, and feet were pierced for us ; and
whose precious blood flowed so freely to wash
away our sins : to Him be glory forever 1 Oh I
blessed sight. Then shall we gaze forever upon
the uncreated glory of Immanuel, shining forth
in full unclouded splendor. Then shall we be-
hold the glory of that blessed Eedeemer, who
left the regions of bliss, to assume mortal flesh
and die for us. Then shall we see with our
very eyes, Him who was crucified for us on
Calvary; but, oh! we shall see Him shining
with inconceivable glory. The glory of Christ
will attract the eyes of all the redeemed, and he
will be forever " admired in all them that be-
lieve." " The Word was made flesh ;"* and the
glory of God shall shine through that flesh,
making that blessed body more glorious than a
thousand suns.
The saints shall dwell forever in the presence
of Immanuel. Thrice happy they, who are to
spend eternity in beholding his radiant glory,
and in encompassing his throne with everlasting
songs of salvation ! Then shall it be proclaimed
* John i. 14.
10
146 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
through the heavenly mansions, " Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and he will
dwell with them, and they shall be his people
and God himself shall be with them, and be
their God."*
In heaven, the saints will enjoy the society of
the Lord himself; which is the perfection of
happiness. Says Christ, "Where I am, there
shall also my servant be." O ! to be ever near
Him ; to see Him as he is ; to be like him ; to
behold his glory ; to have that glory revealed in
us; to praise Him eternally in the mansions
above : what a happy home will this be ! " Be-
loved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth
not yet appear what we shall be ; but we know
that when he shall appear, we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is."f
Oh, to be like the blessed Jesus ; to see him
in glory! What heart would desire moreV
Then shall we commence to tread with our elder
Brother, and adorable Eedeemer, the ceaseless
round of eternity. Then shall the wonders of his
love be incessantly unfolded before us causing
new songs of praise to ascend from our en-
raptured souls, to Him that sitteth upon the
throne. Who can express the delights tht? saints
must feel, when they look into the fa^e of
* Rer. xx 8. f 1 John ir 2.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 147
CLnst, and there read his tender love to them I
But oh how completely engulfed in the abyss
of infinite love, and lost in wonder and praise,
must our souls be, when we gaze upon the
ecars which mark the hands and feet and side
of our blessed Saviour, and there read the im-
mensity of that love which made him die for
us ! " And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of
the throne, and of the four beasts, and in the
rnidst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had
been slain."* In those blessed regions, where
He is unveiled to the sight of mortals, Jesus
will gladden our hearts with perpetual joy,
and love us with an everlasting love.
It is the privilege of believers to be with
Christ ; to spend eternity in his presence ; to
gaze forever upon the Sun of Kighteousness,
shining in his meridian splendor. That sun
will never set in the "new heavens." His
beams will always irradiate the city of our God,
our happy dwelling place.
Christ's presence will make "our Father's
house" a glorious home, a happy abode, a
blessed habitation. Where he is, there will
heaven be. His glorious presence will illu-
minate the abode of the blessed, the realms of
everlasting day. And, believer when you come
* Rev. v. ^
148 THE LOVK OF HE I ST.
to dwell in those blissful mansions, his presence
his eociety, his love, *nd his celestial voice will
cause your enraptured soul to rejoice ; and eter-
nity will be spent in being with him, and in
beholding his glory.
" Oh I to hear that voice speak ineffable peace
and consolation to your soul ; to see Him as he
is, whose glory infinitely surpasses all objects
of nature and of art; to see those dear hands,
and feet, and head, whose wounds in suffering
for you will be more brilliant and beautiful in
your eye than the topaz of Ethiopia : yea, to
have his glory revealed in you ; to be perfectly
like him, and to reign with him : what a heaven
will this be! Then your unbounded desires,
which the whole creation could not limit, shall
be satisfied with the full fruition of immortal
love. You shall be refreshed with the emana-
tions of uncreated life and joy, and shall drink
at the fountain-head of pleasure. You shall
mingle with society the most pure, perfect and
lovely, whose glory is only surpassed by that
of Him that sitteth upon the throne. You shall
dwell with kindred spirits, in everlasting har-
mony. Your employment shall combine all
the excellencies of ease, delight, and perpetuity.
You will have nothing to do but to worship
and serve God, and shall have ability to wor-
ship and serve hir~ forever."
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 149
What a happy home will heaven be, where
we shall be ever with the Lord I How happy
will the saints be, when they come to dwell in
that heavenly home in that glorious palace,
where "He that sitteth on the throne shall
dwell among them ;"* where " the Lamb which
is in the midst of the throne shall feed them,
and shall lead them unto living fountains of
waters : and God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes."f
Of that celestial city, in which the saints are
to make their eternal nome, it is said, "the
throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it ,
and his servants shall serve him, and they shall
see his face, and his name shall be in their fore-
heads.":):
The saints, in heaven, shall see Christ with
their bodily eyes. We shall see Him, who loved
us, and gave himself for us. " Now we see
through a glass, darkly ; but then, face to face."
Yes, we shall behold His glorious face, and be
fully satisfied with his immortal love.
We hope shortly to exchange the trials and
afflictions of this vale of tears this suffering,
dying world, for the glories of eternity; and
be ever with the Lord. Then will we have
Rev. vii. 15. f R 8 v. vii. 17
Rev. xx. 3, 4 1 Cor. xiii. 12.
150
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
done with transitory life, with grief and care.
Then will we drink of affliction's bitter cup no
more, and death itself will have lost its power
over us. Then shall we be lodged in the re-
gions of immortality, and be ever with the Lord.
And when ten thousand times ten thousand
years have rolled away; when ages countless
< the stars which deck the midnight skv have
run their ample round, it may be said that we
are, as it were, just beginning to be ever with
the Lord ; that we are just beginning to behold
his glory, and to look into that wonderful coun-
sel of love, that glorious plan of salvation, which
will be our theme of meditation, of wonder, and
of praise through the ceaseless ages of eternity.
Then shall we know the joy of being with
Christ. Then, there shall be no more separa-
tion between Christ and his people : they shall
then be brought near him, and abide with him
forever.
" O glorious hour ! blest abode !
I shall be near and like iny God 1
And flesh and sin no more control
The sacred pleasure of the soul."
It will be Christ's amazing love that will then
fill our hearts with joy unspeakable and full of
glory. It will be the brighter manifestation of
that love which will cause our souls to over-
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 151
with ecstatic joy, as we dwell m the pres-
ence of Immanuel, and surround his throne,
and behold his glory. Then shall we be better
" able to comprehend with all saints what is the
breadth, and length, and depth, and height,
and to know the love of Christ, which passeth
knowledge." Then shall we "be filled with all
the fullness of God."
Oh! the infinite love of Christ, that he should
bring sinners to glory, to dwell in his presence,
to spend eternity with him 1 "So shall we ever
be with the Lord."*
"By faith I see the hour at land,
When in his presence I shi.ll stand :
Then will it be my endlesa bliss,
To 1 3 him where and as I e is." NEWTON.
iv. 17.
152 THE LOVE OF CHKIST,
CHAPTER XI.
THE HAPir HOME CONTEMPLATED. THE BLESSEDNE83
OF THE SAINTS.
v'
In thy presence is ful.ness of Toy: at thv right hand
there are pleasures for evermore." PSALM xvi. 11.
COME, my soul, retire from the noise,
bustle, and tumult of a vain world, and contem-
plate thy happy home in the heavens! Look
beyond this present fleeting scene of existence,
and view thy future, eternal resting place ; and
may the bright glories of heaven, elevate thy
views and raise thy affections above the tran-
sitory pleasures of this decaying scene.
Under the pleasing emblem of a happy
home, heaven is most beautifully set forth.
Christ calls it his Father's house. "In my
Father's house are many mansions."* If we
are the children of God, we may also call it our
Father's house, our happy home ; and each be-
liever may say with the Psalmist, " I will dwell
ic the house of the Lord forever."f
* John xiv. 2. f PsaLu xxiii. 6.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
153
Heaven is also described as a glorious city,
In his sublime vision of the heavenly world,
John thus speaks : "And I John saw the holy
city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God
out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband;" "Having the glory of God:
and her light was like unto a stone most pre-
cious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal."*
The streets of this city are of gold; and the
gates of pearl. " And the twelve gates were
twelve pearls ; and the street of the city was
pure gold, as it were transparent glass."f And
John adds, " I saw no temple therein, for the
Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb, are the
temple of it."J
In this celestial city which is thus beautified
by the creative power of God, and enlightened
with his glory, the saints are to spend the cease-
less ages of a glorious and happy eternity.
This is that city which prophets and apostles
and saints of every age, have desired, and longed
for ; that city which Abraham, when " he so-
journed in the land of promise, as in a strange
country," looked for. " For he looked for a
city which hath foundations, whose builder and
maker is God."
* Rev xxi 2, 11.
t Rev. xxi <>2.
f Rev. xxi. 21.
8 Heb. xi. 10.
154 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
Heaven is that b^; >er country which aL the
saints of old, who Confessed that they were
strangers and pilgrim-; on the earth, desired and
sought to obtain. "But now they desire a
better country, that is, a heavenly ; wherefore
God is not ashamed to be called their God ; for
he hath prepared for them a city."* To this
heavenly home, God will bring all his children,
and Jesus will there dwell among them, for
ever and ever.
When all the s?ints shall be brought home
to be forever with the Lord, they will be per-
fectly blessed. They will enjoy the assurance
of Christ's love, and the eternal smiles of his
countenance! What heart can conceive the
unutterable bliss of the Kedeemed, when brought
into the glorious palace of the great King, where
there is fullness of joy, and pleasures for ever-
more. They will be far from a world of grief,
and sin. They will be beyond the reach of
suffering. No gloom or sorrow shall ever be
cloud their bright spirits in the presence of
Christ. They shall be forever happy with him.
Reaching the happy shores of Immanuel's land,
they shall dwell with God. They shall see
him, " Blessed are the pure in heart, for they
shall see God."f Their souis shall be filled
* HeV xi. 16. f Matt, v, 8.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
155
with unutterable jliss, amid the splendors of
beatific vision, and the sublime raptures of ce-
lestial joys. The ineffable glories of the Deity,
shall then beam forth upon the redeemed.
And, " then shall the righteous shine forth, as
the sun, in the kingdom of their Father."* To
the love of Christ the saints will owe all their
blessedness in another world.
Let us contemplate this blessedness. In the
word of God we see it described. In the 7th
chapter of Kevelation there is contained a glimpse
of heaven of the redeemed in glory. ^
There we find that when all the redeemed
shall be brought home to glory, they will form
a mighty host. " After this I beheld, and, lo, a
great multitude, which no man could number,
of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and
tongues, stood before the throne, and before
the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms
in their hands, "f Millions of Adam's sons and
daughters shaM be brought to glory, through
the merits of Immanuel.
There we find whence this mighty multitude
came. To the questions, " What are these which
are arrayed in white robes? and whence
came they?" it is answerel, "These are they
whbh come out of great t ibulation, and have
* Matt. xvii. 43, 4 Rev. viL >.
156
THE LOVE OF CHKIST.
washed their robes, and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb."*
The saints have travelled a rough road to
glory, and have come out of great tribulation.
Many of them have gone through the fires of
persecution, and their souls have ascended to
glory amid the flames of martyrdom. Many
of that blessed number who now stand before
God, "were stoned, were sawn asunder, were
tempted, were slain with the sword," were once
" destitute, afflicted, tormented ;"f but they have
come ou%of all their tribulations, and are now
happy before the throne of God.
The saints have all washed their robes and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
They are invested with the snowy, spotless
robe of the Kedeemer's righteousness. " This,"
says an eloquent writer, J "is the only garb
which a child of Adam can wear before the
throne of God. And though the apparel of
some may be more curiously wrought and ex-
quisitely embroidered than that of others, though
the hand of the beautifying Spirit ma^ have
made it 'raiment of needle- work' the hue and
lustre of each is the same. Every spirit in glory
wears the vesture radiant with redeeming right-
Kev. vii. 14.' f Heb. xi. 87.
J Rev J. Hamilton, of London.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
157
eousness the snowy robe which speaks of the
fountain opened, and which wilf commemorate
through eternity, the blood of the Lamb."
The employment of the saints in heaven is
also described in this glorious vision. They
serve God. " Therefore are they before the
throne of God, and serve him day and night
in his temple."* " They cry with a loud voice,
saying. Salvation to our God which sitteth upon
the throne, and unto the Lamb."f " And his
servants shall serve him."^:
"Wnat a contrast is there between the service
of God on earth, and in heaven ! Here, all our
divine services are imperfectly performed : there,
all is perfection itself. Here, when the spirit is
often willing, the flesh is weak, and soon wearied,
even in the sweetest seasons of devotion and
heavenly meditation : there " they rest not day
and night, saying Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Al-
mighty, which was, and is, and is to come."
And again, " Thou art worthy, Lord, to re-
ceive glory and honor and power ; for thou hast
created all things, and for thy pleasure they are
and were created."]
The employment of redeemed saints will be
that of everlasting praise and adoration. They
Rev. vii. 15.
Rev. iv 8
Rev vii. 1C
Rev. xxii. &
v. 11.
158
THE LOVE OF CHKIST.
will praise ana admire the Saviour, for his un
bounded love and goodness to them. They will
iontemplate that glorious salvation of which
1 the prophets have inquired and searched dili-
gently." and which "the angels desire *to look
into." Kedemption and salvation by Christ will
constitute their unending theme ; in the contem-
plation of which, their souls shall be lost in won-
der, love and praise.
A crucified Saviour will be the wonder of
heaven, and will employ ransomed souls in holy
meditations through an inconceivable eternity.
" Christ crucified," says an excellent old divine, 45
u is the library which triumphant souls will be
studying in to all eternity. Eternity itself will
be too short, in which to unfold the wonders of
redeeming love, or to speak the praises of that
blessed Eedeemer who was crucified on Calvary
for a sinful world. With increasing wonder
and admiration shall that ransomed host, who
stand upon Mount Zion, eternally search into
the wonders of Christ's redeeming love as man-
ifested to them. And all the redeemed, casting
their crowns before the throne in token of their
own un worthiness, shall unite in one long, loud,
adoring anthern of praise ; in one grand, ever-
lasting chorus : ' Wortl y is the Lamb that was
* Bifh >p c ~Ulingfleet in Origines Sacrre, ]ib. ?, c. 6.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
159
slain to receive power, and riches, and rtr.
and strength, and honor, and glory, and bless-
ing. 'Blessing, and honor, and glory, and
power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne,
and unto the ' Lamb forever and ever.'* They
sing unceasing praises to him who loved them,
and washed them from their sins in his own
blood. ' Unto him that loved us, and washed
us from our sins in his own blood, and hath
made us kings and priests unto God and his
Father ; to him be glory and dominion forever
and ever. Amen.'f ' They sing the song of
Moses the servant of God, and the song of the
Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy
works, Lord God Almighty: just and true are
thy ways, thou King of saints !' "J
Such is the employment of heaven ; and its
blessed inhabitants shall have power and ability
to worship and serve God without weariness,
forever.
The saints shall be perfectly happy in the
presence of Christ. Free from all sorrow, they
shall possess immortal joys in the presence of
Him who sitteth on the throne. They shall not
know what sorrow is any more. All tears shall
be wiped away ; for " He that sitteth on the
throne shall dwell among them. They shall
* Rev. v 12, 1?.
f Rev. i. 5 \
Rev. 3rr. 3, 4
160 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
hunger no more, neither thirst any more ; neither
shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For
the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne
shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living
fountains of waters ; and God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes.'"*
Here, the saints weep, and wail, and experi-
snce the distressing calamities and sorrows of
mortal life. They feel the mutations of this
ever varying scene. They are often in the
depths of adversity and distress. They also ex-
perience changes in the spiritual life. To-day
they may be on Pisgah, with -heaven in their
view, rejoicing ; to-morrow, in the valley of
Baca, weeping. To-day, the sunshine of Chris-
tianity may illumine their path ; to-morrow they
may wander about, enveloped in spiritual dark-
ness. Here, the dearest- ties are cut asunder,
and the tenderest cords broken; which causes
the heart to overflow with sorrow Our friends
die, and tears trickle down our cheeks; and
perhaps we ourselves go down with sorrow to
the grave. " Thou feedest them with the bread
of tears, and givest them tears to drink in great
measure."f
Thus the saints keenly feel the sorrows of
this mortal state; but in heaven, "Gcd shall
Re-- v . 15, 17 f Psalrnlxxx
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 161
wipe away all tears from their eyes ; and there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor cry-
ing, neither shall there be any more pain : for
the former things are passed' away."*
In heaven, the saints shall obtain everlasting
joy. " Everlasting joy shall be unto them."f
" Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall re-
turn, and come with singing unto Zion; and
everlasting joy shall be upon their head : they
shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and
mourning shall flee awaj:"{ " They that sow
in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth
and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubt-
less come again rejoicing, bringing his sheaves
with him." And then "the days of thy
mourning shall be ended."] Our joy in heaven
will be full, satisfying, and eternal.
The redeemed shall be free from all the suf-
ferings, pains, and diseases that afflict humani-
ty, and render this mortal life one continual
scene of distress. In that happy world, "the
inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people
that dwell therein shall be forgiven their in-
huity."^
Immortal health and vigor bloom in heaven.
Sin, the cause of sickness, and pain, and sor-
* Uev. xxi. 4. f Isaiah Ixi. 7- \ Isaiah li. 11:
g Psalm cxxvl. 5, 6. fl Is. . 21. T K xxxiii. 24
11
162 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
row, shall be excluded from that blessed world.
There, no tears bedew the .jheek, no sorrows
rend the heart, no pain is felt, no dissolution is
feared ; for death itself is swallowed up in vie
tory. " And there shall be no more death."
This is nothing but a dying world. Here,
death strikes its dart, and cuts down our dear
est friends. Perhaps he who now reads theso
lines may have stood over the dying bed of a
dear relative or friend, and, with bitter sorrow,
taken the last farewell, and witnessed the death-
struggles of him or her whom he loved.
Death annually sweeps off a multitude of the
human race. The sun now shines upon the
graves of thousands, who, but a year ago,
bloomed with health and vigor. Where are
they now ? Gone. Now they are numbered
among the dead. Now, clad with all the habil-
iments of the grave, they lie cold and lifeless
in death's narrow house in the grave's dismal
mansion.
In heaven there shall be no more death, nor
painful separation of kindred souls. Eternal
lift; shall be enjoyed by the blessed inhabitant!
of the New Jerusalem. The last enemy shaL
have been destroyed. Then will God say, con-
cerning his redeemed ones," " I will ransom them
from the power of the grave; I will rejlecm
them f-:m. death: death, I will be thy plague:
THE LOVK OP CHRIST.
163
i
O grave, I will be thy destruction."* Then,
" this corruptible must put on incorruption, arid
this mortal must put on immortality : then shall
be brought to pass the saying that is written,
Death is swallowed up in victory."!
Tn those celestial mansioBS T all the immortal
sons of God shall meet in blissful harmony and
adoring praise, to be forever with the Lord.
The saints shall enjoy eternal rest in heaven.
"There the wicked cease from troubling, and
there the weary be at rest":}. They shall be
perfectly holy and happy; and shall eternally
bask in the sunshine of God's immediate pres-
ence, and drink of those perennial streams that
issue from the fountain of life. The Lamb shall
feed them, and lead them to living fountains of
waters."
*Hosea xiii. 14. f 2 Cor. xv. 53, 54. \ Job. in. 17.
"The Godhead is a boundless sea, on which the thin
island of creation floats; and though the region be ever so
dry and arid a burning Baca and though the object be
ever so bleak and bald a grim Horeb, a flinty rock it
needs only the touch of the prophet's rod, and forthwith a
fountain springs as exhaustless as that divine perfection
vhence it flows. In that better country the Horeb nevei
staunches, and the Baca never dries: the fountains j '.ay per-
petually, and the waters ever live ; and the Lamb is familiar
with thenr all. To the woody brink of one he leads his white-
robed followers ; arid in its fringing glcries and populous
profound, thy read the richc? of creative power and skill.
To the melodious ve*ge of ar :cher he conducts them and
164 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
The saints shall spend an everlasting day of
light and blessedness in Immanuel's land ; " and
there shall be no night there." Eternal day
smiles in those blessed regions. " Thy sun shall
no more go down, neither shall thy moon with-
draw itself; for the Lord shall be thine ever-
lasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall
be ended."*
In that bright world which the saints are go-
ing to possess, all will be irradiated by the glory
of God and of the Lamb. The glorious Sun
of righteousness will illuminate the heavenly
world, the celestial city. " Thy sun shall be no
more thy light by day, neither for brightness
shall the moon give light unto thee ; but t/he
Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light,
and thy God thy glory. "f " And the city had
no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine
in the fountain of light which gushes high, and flings its
rainbows wide ; in the balm scattered by its wafted dews,
and the song with which the branches wave, they hear it
endlessly repeated, ' God is love.' And to another still he
guides them ; and simple as the margin looks, and limpid
as the waters are, it dilates and deepens as they gaze ; deep-
ens, till it ^nocks the longest line; widens, till Gabriel's eye
can see no shore ; and in its fathomless abyss, and ever-re-
treating bound, they recognize the divine unsearchableness.
lu Paradise, every fountain lives, and each fountain a a ies-
aou full of God," Rev. J. HAMILTON
* IB. be. 20, f Is. 3. 19.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
165
in it; for the glory of God did lighten K, and
the Lamb is the light thereof; and the nations
of them which are saved shall walk in the light
of it, and the gates of it shall not be shut at all
by day, for there shall be no night there."*
The saints " shall inherit all things," and
" reign with Christ forever and ever." Such is
the blessedness of the saints ; and to crown all
their heavenly bliss, it will be eternal. Heaven
is a state of never-ending bliss. Eternity stamps
an infinite value on celestial happiness.
" ye blest scenes of permanent delight!
Full, above measure! lasting, beyond bound?
A perpetuity of bliss, is bliss."
With regard to perpetuit}^, what a striking
contrast there is between earthly and heavenly
joys! How transient are all sublunary pleas-
ures ? " Passing away," is indelibly stamped
upon all that is terrestrial. " The world passeth
away, and the lust thereof."!
Youth and beauty, health and strength, riches
and honor are passing away. Incessant changes
characterize this globe, and all its inhabitants;
but no such changes are known in heaven.
'' Lord, I long tc be at home,
Where these c'xane?* never come I
* Rev. xxi. 2c -25
1 John ii. 17.
166 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
Where the saints no winter fear,
Where 'tis spring throughout the year
How unlike this state below!
There the flowers unwithering blow,
There no chilling blasts annoy,
All is love, and bloom, and joy."
The joys of the Christian's happy home never
end. The pleasures which are at God's right
hand endure for ever.
" Oh yes ! those sweet words for ever, shall be
attached to every thing in glory. You shall eat
of the tree of life: drink of the water of life;
wear the crown of life; you shall be made a
pillar in the temple of God, and there shall be
no more going out."
But oh ! what is the for ever of heaven ; who
can describe it? who can comprehend vast eter-
nity, the measure of the saint's bliss?
" Were the house you inhabit," says a very
pious writer,* "to be filled with the finest sand,
and then emptied so slowly that but the smallest
grain should be taken out once in ten thousand
years, how many millions of ages should pass
away before the last grain were removed ! yet,
compared with eternity, these coi.ntless years
would be like the twinkling of an eye. Were
the mighty seas which dash their waves upon
* Rev. j. G. Pike.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 167
so many shores, ID be suddenly changed mto
one mass of ink, and then & be employed in
numbering down ligures, and the last figure tc
signify a million of years, what countless ages
would be numbered down before the seas were
emptied ; yet he who wrote the last figure might
say, 'These ages are not eternity; they are
nothingness itself, compared with that; less than
one drop to all the sea; less than one moment
to all these infinite years; they are like a tale
that is told ; or a sigh that is forgotten.'
Were this vast world one mass of sand, and
were the Most High, by his infinite power, to
create as many worlds as there might be grains
of sand in this ; and were he then to commission
a ministering angel to destroy them all, by re-
moving grain after grain, yet so slowly that he
should remove but one grain in a million of
years, what millions, and millions, and millions
of years, beyond all thought and conception,
would pass away before one world were thus
destroyed! and 0, what before all these num-
bers were! What an eternity would be here!
An eternity ! no, not a moment, compared with
it. Sand after sand would be removed, though
at so infinitely slow a rate ; world after world
would be destroyed ; and the angel would finish
his task, but not finish eternity. Eternity would
txi eternity still. One grain of sane would bear
168 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
some proportion to these numberless worlds
one moment to these countless millions of nge3;
but all these would bear none to eternity; when
they were passed, it would still be 'beginning
rather beginning to begin.'" Such is the foi
ever of heaven.
Eternity! who can grasp the immense idea
which this short word conveys? When mil-
lions and millions of ages shall have passed
away, the blessed inhabitants of Immanuel's land
will be young in immortality, and there will
still be stretched before them an " evermore," in
which they ^'11 enjoy perfect blessedness at
God's right hand.
Oh! what a blessed, happy home is heaven.
" And what a home for us to return to and abido
in forever ! A home prepared before the foun-
dation of the world. A home in the many man-
sions ; a home in the innermost circle of creation,
nearest the throne and heart of -God ; a home
whose peace shall never be broken by the sound
of war or tempest, whose brightness shall never
be overcast by the remotest shadow of a cloud.
How solacing to the weary spirit, to think of a
resting-place so near, and that resting-place our
Father's house, where we shall hunger no more,
neither thirst any more: where the sun shall
not light on us, nor any heat ; where the Lamb
that is in the midst of the throne shall feed us,
THE LOVE OF CHEIST.
169
and lead us to living fountains of waters, and
God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes."*
01 how near is our happy home it is just
within sight. How near, how very neai is eter-
nity : it is even at the door !
Christian reader, ycu shall soon, very soon,
reach your happy home. Already your earthly
course may be nearly terminated. One step
more, and you will have gained the happy shores
of Immanuel's land. Having crossed the tern
pestuous ocean of life, you will enjoy the re-
freshing breezes of heaven, and the calm repose
of the saint's everlasting home. Your redemp*
tion is drawing near. " Now is our salvation
nearer than when we believed. The night is
far spent, the day is at hand." A few more suns
will rise and set, and then the unsetting sun shall
rise in the " new heavens." A few more days,
and then will dawn the eternal day. A few
more fleeting years will pass swiftly by, and then
the everlasting cycles of eternity will roll on.
You will soon exchange a cross of suffering on
earth, for a crown of glory in heaven, immortal,
incorruptible, and that fndeth not away. You
will soon join with the whole family of God, in
H. Bonar, author of "The Night of Weeping," and "The
Morning of Joy;" two charming little volume, written in
a pleasing style.
170 THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
the contemplation of Christ's redeeming love,
One theme, that of redemption, shall then em-
ploy every soul, and every tongue shall be tuned
to the praises of Imrnanuel. With your re-
deemed companions in glory, you will soon
unite in that sweet song, " Unto him that loved
us, and washed us from our sins in his own (yea,
his own most precious) blood, and hath made us
kings and priests unto God and his Father ; to
him be glory and dominion forever and ever.
Amen."
The time is short. "The Lord is at hand."
a Surely I come quickly. Amen. Ever so.
come Lord Jesus. 1 '*
<%ist anb im fetifitb.
PEEFACE.
IN presenting these pages to the Christian public, the
object of the author is simply to exhibit Christ and Him
crucified as the only hope of a lost world.
In this essay we have endeavored to speak of the Ex-
cellency of the subject of the Person of Christ of the
Glory of Christ of Christ Crucified of Redemption by
Christ of the New Song in Glory of the Sum and Sub-
stance of the Gospel of the only Hope of the Sinner-
And of the Cross of Christ. This volume is now com-
mended to the blessing of God. May He grant that,
through these pages, some despairing soul may be led to
hope in Christ and Him crucified. May sinners be at-
tracted by the glory of the cross of Jesus ; may saints be
built up in their " most holy faith ;" and to the Eternal
Father, Son, and Spirit, a triune God, be all the praise,
And now, dear reader, in the language of William Mason,
14 1 commend thee to God, and to the word of his grace,
wishing thee sweet comfort in perusing these meditar
tions. If <yar Lord give thee as much in reading as I
174
PREFACE.
have found in writing them, thou wilt have great reason
for love and praise. Accept them, as the labor of one
who is no prophet, neither a prophet's son, but who
would glory in being a saved sinner, by the cross of
Jesus;" and whose delight it ever is to dwell on tho
blessed theme of redeeming love.
Blest Saviour, with delight I dwell
On themes nomortnl tongue can tell;
The glory of thy cross exceeds
All human and angelic deeds."
Blessea Jesus I Let the words of my mouth, and tn*
meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, C
Lcrd, my Strength, and my Redeemer. Ameii.
'Thongh billows of Borrow should roD,
And surround me on every side;
Yet thou canst the tempest control,
My Savioor, ray K f:,?e and Guide.
ITiy smile makes the soul to expand.
And graces celestial to grow ;
With rapturn 1 gaze on the land
Where pleasures incessantly flow.
Tis there my dear Saviour resides,
In fulness of glory and grace;
And there the pure river that glide*
Through regions of joy and of peac*.
*The life-yielding tree there shall spread
Its branches lux iriantly round;
The saints robed in white shall be fed
With fruits from Emanuel's ground
PREFACE. 175
*Bow deep Is the myst'ry of grace!
The theme of bright seraphs :ibovt;
To see the sweet bourn* of his face,
To dwell in the essence of love!
"My Father! thy nature is lovo;
In Jesus thine image 1 view!
'Mi may I beh.ild him above,
And praise him eternally too.
* May this my delight ever be,
On earth his rich grace to record:
Ard whMi from these templed 1 ti
With Joy ascend up to tho ]>7'
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
CHAPTER I.
THE EXCELLENCY OP THE SUBJECT.
" Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss, for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord."
PHIL. iii. 8 ;
IN the physical, intellectual and moral world
there are to be found many important and in-
teresting subjects. The whole circle of science
embraces many topics of absorbing interest to
the man of genius. Human learning exalts
man to that grand elevation of intellectual great-
ness, from which he views nature in all her
magnificence, revels amid her beauties, and
roams, in imagination, from star to star, from
eun to sun, where the Deity reigns in all the
grandeur of his attributes. JSTo wonder, then,
that human learning should be so highly prized,
and so assiduously sought after by rational be-
ings, But th 3re is a subject of infinitely greater
12
178 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
importance than all science or human knowl-
edge; a subject which above all others may be
denominated sublimely great and interesting;
and which, to the thirsty soul of a penitent sin-
ner, is most refreshing and exhilarating : that
theme is Christ and him crucified. All the holy
angels that surround the throne of God, with
all the redeemed in glory, look upon this sub-
ject with unbounded delight and increasing
admiration, but can never fully comprehend
its sublimity and moral grandeur. It is the
unending theme of heaven, the joy of saints, the
astonishment of angels. It is a subject too lofty
for human skill ; angelic intellect can never com-
prehend it. We cannot adequately declare its
vastness, much less comprehend its fullness. It
is inexhaustible in its nature. The highest in-
telligences that move amidst the glories of
Paradise cannot fathom its profundity. The
mighty oceans that divide continents, and dash
their waves on numberless shores, may be ex-
hausted. Not so the excellency of the knowl-
edge of Christ Jesus. The countless luminaries
that decorate the nocturnal sky, and light up
the canopy of heaven, rnay be extinguished in
eternal darkness, but this glorious theme shall
shine forever in tha perfection of beauty. When
the last lines of earth's history shall have been
written, yea, when this terrestrial globe itself
CHRIST, AND HIM CKUCIFIED. 179
?ht.L have be*?n wrapped in the flames of the
judgment day, and &11 the redeemed brought
iiome to glory, Christ and him crucified will
form the all-absorbing subject that shall engage
lie capacious and exalted minds of heaven's
blissful inhabitants, in holy meditation and
rapturous delight, through a blessed and glorious
eternity.
Then, believer, if you are to bpend eternity
thus, should you not employ the short space of
time which intervenes between you and the
realms of glory, in the contemplation of this
wonder of wonders, this mystery of godliness,
a crucified Saviour ? May God in his infinite
mercy grant that you may be led to form the
resolution of the great Apostle, who, when
writing to the Corinthians, declares, "I deter-
mined not to know any thing among you save
Jesus Christ and him crucified."
"Christ crucified," said an old divine,* "is
the library which triumphant souls will be study-
ing in, to all eternity. Other knowledge makes
men's minds giddy and flatulent; this settles
and composes them ; other knowledge is apt to
swell men into high conceits and opinions of
themselves; this brings them 10 the truest view
of themselves, and thereby to humility and
Bishoj Sfillingfleet.
180 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
sobriety : other knowledge leaves men's Learts
as it found them; this alters them, and makes
them better. So transcendent an excellency is
there in the knowledge of Christ crucified above
the sublimest speculations in the world." Should
you not then spend much of your time in
meditating on this glorious theme ? Where in
the whole world can you find a subject so ex-
cellent, so consoling, so animating as this ? 0,
then, study Christ and hirn crucified. Be dili
gent and ardent in the pursuit of this knowl-
edge, for it alone can guide the Christian to
immortal bliss.
A knowledge of Christ and him crucified, is
indispensable to salvation. "I am the way,"
says Christ, "and the truth, and the life: no
man cometh unto the Father, but by me."* " I
arn the door : by me if any man enter in, he
shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find
pasture."! By that great atonement which he
made on Calvary, our blessed Saviour has abol-
ished death, and brought life and immortality to
light. The radiancy which the knowledge of a
crucified Saviour emits amidst the darkness of
mortality, dispels the gloom that overspreads
the mind, and dissipates the darkness that hovers
around the pathway to immortality. This
i
John xiv 6. { John x. 9.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 181
knowledge makes the Christian's eye bright
with hope, and animates him on his way to the
mansions of glory. It tears asunder the veil
that hides the unseen world from mortal view,
and holds up to the Christian's enraptured gaze,
the untold glories of heaven. It points directly
to the only sacrifice for sin, Jesus Christ, the
bleeding Lamb of God. It leads you to Calvary,
where, amid the affecting and overpowering
scenes exhibited, it opens to your astonished
view the portals of heaven, and pours in a flood
of light and glory that dazzles the eye of the
Christian^ sheds effulgence around the throne
of God, and beams with unclouded splendor
through eternity itself.
The saving knowledge of Christ and him cru-
cified, leads the sinner to glory and happiness at
God's right hand. It will crown him with un-
utterable bliss. It will prepare him for the en-
joyment of heaven ; for the reception of that
unfading wreath of glory which shall be en-
twined around the brow of the faithful ; for that
glittering diadem which shall be placed upon
his head ; and for those robes of salvation with
which he shall be eternally arrayed before the
throne of God. How important then, is this
knowledge which leads to such blessed results,
to such unspeakable glory I that each of u*
182 CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIX D.
may become experimentally acquainted with
Christ and him crucified.
Permit me to urge this momento-m subject
upon your serious consideration. You should
give it a thorough investigation. Your immor-
tal destiny is embraced within ita -ample scope.
To neglect it, will be at the peril o> your eternal
happiness. then, we beseeck you with the
utmost compassion for your immortal soul, to
attend to this glorious message, the proclamation
of a crucified Saviour, and eternal life through
him. This great and all-important theme, the
glory of which no mortal tongue can express, is
more intimately connected with your present and
future welfare than all other subjects within the
range of human acquisition.
We would not, in this little volume, display
before you the airy speculations of philosophy
or the various charms of human science ; but we
would, with ardent language, hold up to your
view, Christ and him crucified, as your only
hope ; as the only hope of a lost world. Here,
sinner, is your hiding-place. Under the shadow
of Him who once groaned and bled on Calvary,
you can find eternal repose. " And a man shall
be a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert
from th tempest ;* as rivers of waters in a dry
* Is xxxii. 2.
CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 183
place, as the shadow of a great rock in a we ary
land." Jesus Christ is here set forth in all the
richness of his grace. He is here offered, freely
offered to dying sinners. Embrace him as youi
only Saviour ; while passing through this " wearj
land," through this wilderness world, lean on
Him, who will guide you safely to glory. In
Him, you will experience that joy which the
world cannot impart, and that peace of God,
which passeth all understanding. By that bless-
ed side which was once pierced with the soldier's
spear, you will enjoy the favors and smiles of a
reconciled God.
From those deep wounds that were inflicted
on the Saviour's immortal form, fountaiys of
joy, as inexhaustible as the ocean of divine per-
fection itself, will flow in the richest streams of
grace, to refresh, invigorate and animate your
soul I there is something about Calvary so
mysterious in its nature so glorious in its re-
sults. Time can never disclose nor vast eternity
unravel those things connected with that affect-
lag scene, displayed when the Son of God bowed
his head and exclaimed " It is finished."
This subject embraces this mystery, and con
sequently will be the trieme of the redeemed to
all eternity It comprehends the glorious plan
of redemption and all the wonders of Christ's
redeeming love. It does not lead the sinner to
184 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
Sinai, and there leave him amid the dreadful
thunder and lightning and flame and smoke :
no, it gently draws him to Calvary, that life-
giving mount, where the unbounded love of
God for sinners once glowed in the bosom of his
Son, with more than human splendor ; where it
beamed forth in all the effulgence of the divin-
ity, when the holy Jesus hung a suffering,
bleeding, victim on the ignominous cross. How
glorious is such a subject! It is full of Christ
and salvation through him. It vividly displays
the matchless mercy, and boundless love of
God to a lost world.
" Oh I how matchless is this mercy 1
How unbounded is this love!
Tis our joy on earth to feel it;
1 Tia the theme of saints above."
Let the knowledge of Christ and him cru-
cified dwell in you richly. Endeavor to know
more and more ahout the person of your glo-
rious Redeemer ; about that wonderful decease
which }\Q accomplished at Jerusalem, and that
all-sufficient atonement which he effected on
Calvary. Christ and him crucified is the sweet-
est, noblest theme on which a soul ever dwelt.
Holy angels on their lofty thrones in glory, de-
sire to stoop from the heights of celestial bliss,
and look into this wonderiu abvss of love and
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 185
mercy to fallen man the gift of a Saviour a
glorious salvation. Well may we, who are the
objects of such unprecedented love, raise our
grateful hearts to the God of heaven, and shout
forth in language like this : Glory to God in
the highest for such peace and good- will toward
men.
Christian, may Christ and him crucified ever
be your delightful theme on earth, till mortality
is swallowed up of life, till you are admitted
into the glorious presence of Immanuel, and see
him face to face, and begin your unceasing song,
unto him that loved you and washed you from
your sins in his own blood. Can you not now
say with the Apostle, " Yea doubtless, and I
count all things but loss for the excellency of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord ;"* and
that every reader could join with us in the
following beautiful, glowing lines of the poet,
"Thou myall!
My theme ! my inspiration 1 and my crown I
My soul's ambition, pleasure, wealth ; my world.
My light in dirkness ! and my life in death I
My boast through time I bliss through eternity 1
Eternity, too short to speak thy praise,
Or fathom thy profound of love to man I
To man of m ?a the met nest, ever, to me
My sacrifice aiy God I YOUNG.
^Ir... iii. 8.
186
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
CHAPTER II.
THE PERSON OF CHRIST.
"Them art fairer than the children of men." PSALM t\v. 2.
" My meditation of him shall be sweet." PSALM ciy. 84.
BEFORE we dwell on the melting story of
Calvary, or exhibit to you a crucified Saviour,
or afford a display of his glorious atonement, let
us advert to the divine person and character of
our Immanuel. Let us admire hia glorious per-
fections. A saving knowledge of Christ will
constitute the foundation of our immortal joys ;
will lead us to eternal life, and the highest state
of felicity in heaven above. " And this is life
eternal, that they might know thee, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast
sent."* 0, that we might obtain a glimpse of
the matchless person of Christ! 0, that we
might behold "the King, in his beauty." Surely
then would our sight and eyes be turned away
from viewing vanity. If there is an object in
the universe that should attract our attention,
excite our admiration, warm our affections, and
* Jol r xvii 8.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 18?
I
demand our love ; surely it is the glorious Sav-
ior, the blessed Son of God, who is the bright-
ness of his Father's glory, and the express image
of his person. Christ is the most glorious being
in the universe of God. Blessed Jesus I reveal
thyself unto us in all thy transcendent loveli-
ness, in all thy surpassing beauty. " Thou art
fairer than the children of men ;" " the chiefest
among ten thousand ;" " yea, thou art altogether
lovely ;" " thou art the blooming rose of Sharon,
and the lily of the valleys." Manifest thyself
unto us as thou dost not unto the world. Glad-
den our guilty souls with the beams of thy
mercy and grace. Unfurl the banner of thy
wondrous love over us ; encircle us in the arms
of thy compassion, and lift upon us the light of
thy gracious countenance.
We can know but little, comparatively, of the
excellence and glory of Christ's person, until we
see him on his heavenly throne, in all his un-
veiled glory. Then hall we see him as he is,
face to face, and forever behold his matchless
beauty. What a glorious sight will that be, tq
see the Redeemer shining in the perfection of
beauty. What a blessed privilege, to dwell for
ever in the presence of the great King, to sur-
round the radiant throne of heaven, and amid
the spleidors of the celestial Paradise, to sound
through endless ages the notes of seraphic
188 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
praise, to him that redeemed us from eternal
misery with his own most precious blood !
Gentle reader, seek Christ now; believe on
him ; view him with the eye of faith, as your
only Lord and Saviour, and in a little while
faith shall be turned into sight, into heavenly
vision, and you will enjoy the presence and
society of your beloved Redeemer through a
glorious eternity. Remember, young reader,
that Christ has said u those that seek me early
shall find me."* May the Lord in his mercy
grant that you and I may find Him of whom
Moses and the prophets did write, Jesus, the Son
of God. This will prove our everlasting com-
fort. Through time and through eternity, Christ
will be our unchanging friend.
To the believer, Christ is ail in all. Amid all
the vacillating scenes and Jieart-rending sorrows
of mortality, he is ever with him, manifesting
his grace and sustaining him in every trial ; and
in the last hour of mortal existence, when the
believer is standing on the verge of the grave,
Christ is by him, cheering his departing soul
with the hope of eternal glory, and guiding him
safely through the swellings of Jordan to the
promised land, the everlasting happy home cf
God's children. In the hour of death, the be-
* Pro* riii. 17.
CHKIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 189
liever Is enabled to exclaim, " Oh ! I -would not
give up Christ for all the world. Whom have I
in heaven but thee? and there is none upon
earth that I desire besides thee."
Now, is Christ precious to you ? Do you de-
sire to know more and more about him? Is he
formed in you, the hope of glory? If so, we
trust you will follow us with a joyful heart in
our presentation of hi, , character and excellence
as they are vividly portrayed in the Holy Scrip-
tures. That blessed Redeemer who once hung
a bleeding victim on Calvary ; who endured the
death of the cross /here, is the eternal Son of
God, equal with tbe Father in power and glory,
possessing all the attributes of Deity.
The Scriptures plainly assert that Christ is
God, the Creator of the universe. "In the be-
ginning wan the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. All things were
made by him ; and without him was not any
thing made that was made."* Christ bears the
very image of the everlasting Father. Yes, the
eternal Son of God, our blessed Saviour, is the
brightness of his Father's glo ry, and the express
image of his person. " Who, being the bright-
ness of his glory, and the express image of his
person, ac/i upholding all things by the word
Jokn i. 1, 8.
190 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
of his power, when lie had by himself purged
our sins, sat down on the right hand of the
Majesty on high."*
Again, it is declared of Christ that he " is the
image of the invisible God, the first-born of
, every creature : for by him were all things cre-
ated that are in heaven, and that are in earth,
visible and invisible, whether they be thrones,
or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all
things were created by him, and for him ; and
he is before all things, and by him all things
consist. And he is the head of the body, the
Church: who is the beginning, the first-born
from the dead ; that in all things he might have
the pre-eminence. For it pleased the Father,
that in him should all fulness dwell, "f What a
fulness of grace and glory dwells in the blessed
Jesus I
And what divine power has he displayed in
the works of creation ! By his word, were all
things made. He spake and it was done ; he
commanded, and it stood fast. He only gave
the command, and this world, with all its iuhab
itants, started into being. Such is his illimitable
power, that he has created and sustained for ages,
millions of fixed and moving worlds of light and
glory. With unerring precision, he guides the
* He), i S. f Col. i. 16, 19.
CHRIST, AND HIM K U I F 1 E D. 191
planets in their revolutions, and directs the
comets in their flaming march. With an arm
of omnipotence, he has bespangled the midnight
sky with its glowing luminaries ; and that same
mysterious personage who endured the ignomin-
ious death of Calvary, has created this beauti-
ful, green earth on which we tread ; formed the
moon in her silvery brightness, and kindled up
the sun in all his glory. " By the word of the
Lord, were the heavens made ; and all the host
of them by the breath of his mouth."* He has
" measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
and rneted out heaven with a span, and compre-
hended the dust of the earth in a measure, and
weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills
in a balance."
Christ is the second person in the glorious
Trinity, and is of equal power with God the
Father, and God the Spirit. Yea he " thought
it not robbery to be equal with God," and as the
Creator of the universe, he reigns, the omnipo-
tent, Lord of heaven and earth. All power is
intrusted to him, and all worlds are the offspring
of his almighty fiat, the product of his creative
skill. It is the same blessed Saviour who bled
and died on earth " that spreacleth out the hea-
vens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea ;
Psalms xxxiii. 6.
192 CHKIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
that maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and
the chambers of the south."
Christian, go out and gaze upon the clear,
blue sky, when the solemn stillness of night per-
vades a slumbering world ; survey the countless
glories of the starry firmament ; view the num-
berless suns that shine above you ; think of the
innumerable planets that revolve around these
suns ; contemplate the mighty s} T stems of worlds
that move in celestial harmony and majesty
through boundless space. Your Saviour made
them all. Then think of his power, wisdom,
and goodness as manifested in all his works.
Think of his original glory and blessedness ; but
above all, think of his amazing condescension
and infinite love for you. He who hung out
these brilliant orbs, once stooped from his celes-
tial throne of glory to assume human nature,
and bleed and die for you : yes, to die the death
of the cross! He "made himself of no reputa-
tion, and took upon him the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men ; and being
found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself,
and became obedient unto death, even the death
of the cross 1"* Wonderful condescension.
Amazing love ! Was there ever love like this,
that led Christ to Calvary, there to lay down his
* Phil. x. 7. 8.
CHEIST, AND HIM CBUCIFIED. 193
precious life for sinners ! No , the annals of
time do not furnish a parallel ; neither is it to
be found in the records of eternity. Christ, the
only begotten Son of God, lay in the bosom of
the Father from all eternity ; possessing untold
glory with him. But out of infinite compassion
and boundless love for his children, his redeem-
ed, he consented, for a time, to veil that glory
in humanity, and bleed upon the accursed tree.
He became partaker of flesh and blood. " For-
asmuch then as the children are partakers of
flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took
part of the same."* % He gave his blessed body
to be broken, and his precious blood to be shed
for sinners. For you, dear believer, did the
Lord of glory suffer. That he might redeem
you from the curse of a broken law, and thus
rescue you from eternal misery in the regions of
darkness and despair, he assumed your nature.
" For verily he took not on him the nature cf
angels ; but he took on him the seed of Abra-
ham. Wherefore in all things it behooved him
to be made like unto his brethren, that he might
be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for
the sins of the people."f In Christ, the divine
and numan natures are admirably united in one
Heb i. 14.
13
Heb. il !,
194 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
glorious person. He is truly God and truly man
He is our Creator, our Preserver, our bountiful
Benefactor ; and yet he is bone of our bone and
flesh of our flesh. He is our near kinsman:
our elder brother ; our gracious friend, who lov-
eth at all times ; our glorious Redeemer.
In our nature, Christ suffered and died for
us; in our nature he rose triumphant from the
grave ; and he now wears it before the throne
of God. how highly has Christ exalted hu-
man nature! He has elevated it to the right
hand of God, to the greatest honors and the
brightest state of felicity in the heaven of heavens.
In glory the redeemed shall be made like Christ ;
their bodies shall shine like his glorious body.
Says an Apostle, "we know that when he
shall appear, we shall be like him ; for we Qhall
see him as he is."* At his glorious appearing
on the resurrection morning, Christ shall call
forth our sleeping dust and "change our vile
body, that it may be fashioned like unto his
glorious body, according to the working whereby
he is able even to subdue all things unto him
self."f Then shall we be with him, and be en
tirely like him to all eternity. Then shall we
see him face to face in his heavenly kingdom,
yes we shall look into the very face of the
1 John iii 1 f Phil, iii 21.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 195
blessed Jesus, and behold in that countenance
the expressions of tenderest love for us, his re-
leemed. Then shall we see what a lovely Sav-
iour we have ; and through eternal ages we shall
)e contemplating the glorious person of OUT
Redeemer. Then shall we discern those excel-
lencies in the person of Christ, which are now
obscured by the veil of mortality. " Now we
see through a glass darkly ; but then face to
face : now I know in part ; but then shall I
know even as also I am known."* Precious
Saviour! Thy name is as ointment poured
forth. Thou art all our salvation and desire.
We love thee, because thou hast first loved
us. Whom have we in heaven but thee, and
there is none upon earth that we desire besides
thee. Thou art our way to the Father, the way
in which the redeemed journey through a wil-
derness world to the heavenly Canaan. Thou
art the blessed day -star which illuminates our
path through a bewildering world, and guides
us safely over life's tempestuous ocean into the
harbor of eternal glory,
Blessed Eedeemer, may I love and prize thee
more and more on earth, till, prepared for those
happy mansions above, I bid adieu to this sin-
ful, sorrowful world, enter into the joy of my
* 1
. xiii. 12.
196 CHRIST, AND;HIM CRUCIFIED.
Lord, and raise a never-ending song of praise
in glory to thee my Almighty Saviour.
"Almighty Jesus, make me thine ;
Oh ! wash me in thy blood divine,
Preserve my soul from every sin,
And reign the sov'reign Lord within.
" Oh 1 for a heart of faith and love,
To taste the Saviour's richest grace,
To emulate the choirs above,
Who ever see his blissful face.
"Blest spirit! beautify my soul
With humble joy and holy fear;
Thy pow'r can make the wounded whole,
And bring each gospel blessing near.
" Descend and dwell within my heart ;
The Saviour's image let us bear;
Then bid me hence with joy depart,
And angels' bliss forever share." -
What a precious Saviour we have to choose
a*; ours. One who is so amiable and excellent
in his person. One who is infinitely able to save
us. One who delights in our salvation, and re-
joices over us to do us good. Concerning his
people, Christ says, " I will make an everlasting
covenant with them, that I will not turn away
from them to do them good but I will put my
CHRIST, AND HIM CKUCIFIED. 197
fear in their hearts, that they shall net depart
from me. Yea, I will rejoice over them to do
them good."* What mercies flow from the
Saviour of sinners I When we look at what
our Kedeemer has accomplished for us, well
may we, with wonder and astonishment, ex-
claim, " Oh how great is thy goodness, which
thou hast laid up for them that fear thee ; which
thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee; be-
fore the sons of men." How deeply impressed
with the divine goodness was the prophet, when,
borne along and overwhelmed with the sublim-
ity of his rapturous theme, he breaks forth into
this lofty song :
" Sing, daughter of Zion ; shout, Israel ;
be glad and rejoice with all the heart, daugh
ter of Jerusalem. The Lord thy God in the
midst of thee is mighty ; he will save, he will
rejoice over thee with joy ; he will rest in his
love ; he will rejoice over thee with singing."f
There is none like Christ. He spake as never
man spake. When he sojourned in this vale of
tears, he went about doing goo 9. ; words of com-
passion flowed from h:'.s gracious lips ; he com-
forted the afflicted, healed the diseased, and
raised the dead. At his omnipotent voice, " the
eyes of the blind were opened, and the ears of
Je- xxxii. 40, 41 f Zeph. iii. 14, .1
198 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
the deaf unstopped ; the lame man eaped as a
hart, and the tongue of the dumb sung."
How compassionate was the blessed Jesus> to
the sons and daughters of affliction, to the perish-
ing multitudes around him, when he trod this
earth, clothed with the garb of humanity ; and
now that he is in heaven, invested with all his
original glory, he has the same eye of pity, and
the same heart of love for dying sinners on
earth. Though he reigns in glory, yet he now
says, " To this man will I look, even to him that
is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at
my word." One compassionate look from Christ,
which draws out the soul in love after him, and
kindles up the affections in holy desires after
sweet communion with him, is worth more than
all the treasures of the world. A saving interest
in the glorious Redeemer, will put us into the
possession and enjoyment of those "unsearch-
able riches" which will endure when this bewil-
dering world, with all its fascinations, with aL
its grandeur, shall have passed away.
Does your heart pant after these durable
riches ? Then look up to Christ, admire him ?
contemplate his adorable, mysterious person.
Open the blessed volume of inspiration and read
his glorious character. " Search the scriptures,"
says the Saviour, " for in them ye think ye have
eternal life and they are they which testify of
CHRIST, A:ND HIM CKUCIFIED. 199
me." Trace him in his wonderful transition
from heaven to earth. He veils his glonr in
humanity. He assumes human nature, and
becomes an infant of days, a man of sorrow
through life; a bleeding victim on Calvary.
For you, sinner, he yields to the stroke of death ;
and is laid in a tomb. But see him bursting
the fetters of the grave, and ascending to glory.
Thither follow him. On the wings of faith soar
to the heavenly Canaan. Your divine Redeemer
is there, radiant in glory. Before him, all the
redeemed bow in token of humble adoration
and praise. While they gaze upon his won-
drous bright form, ; one song, "worthy is the
Lamb that was slain," employs them all. In
heaven, all are admiring and praising the " Lamb
that stands on Mount Zion." There, every re-
deemed sinner desires to know more and more
about the adorable Saviour. believer, the
more you study Christ the more will you ad-
mire and praise him. Wonderful in his nature,
glorious in his person, and dear in those rela-
tions in which he stands tc you, he demands
your whole heart, your affections, all your grate-
ful thoughts. While you walk by faith through
a wilderness world, you should constantly keep
Christ in your view in your thoughts in yout
mind ; till in the full blaze of heaven's glory,
you behold him, in the midst of the celestial
20 J CHRIST, AND HIM CKUCIFIED.
throne, as " a Lamb that had been slain,'' and
eternally admire his matchless person, and his
boundless grace. blessed Jesus ! may the de-
sire of our soul now be to thy name, and tc
the remembrance of thee. May we remember
tbee upon beds, and meditate on thee in the
night-watches. And through all our earthly pil-
grimage may we ever think of thee, and of thy
great goodness.
Christian, let your love for an unseen Saviour
increase more and more. Now " whom hav-
ing not seen, ye love ; in whom, though ye see
him not, yet believing ye rejoice with joy un-
speakable, and full of glory." "Unto you
therefore which believe, he is precious." In the
mean time, may your eye that eye of faith
which views the eternal world, and those glo-
rious " things which are not seen," ever be di-
rected to the bleeding " Lamb of God," which
taketh away your sins; which "taketh away
the sin of the world !" Be always longing and
" looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious
appearing of the great God, and our Saviour
Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he
might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify
unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good
works."*
* Titus ii. 13, 14.
CHRIST, AND HIM CBUCIFIED. 2(>l
How sweet the name of Jesus sounds,
In a believer's ear I
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds^
And drives away his fear.
It makes the wounded spirit whole
And calms the troubled breast
Tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to Ui3
202 CHRIST, AND HIM CKUCIFIED.
CHAPTERI II.
THE GLORY OF CHRIST.
4 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given mo,
be with me where 1 am ; that they may behold my glory."
JOHN, xvii. 24.
IN order that we may see the personal ex-
cellency of God's beloved Son, let us contem-
plate his glory. That amazing humiliation and
painful death to which Christ submitted, for
sinners, will appear still more astonishing, when
we reflect upon that majesty and glory with
which he was invested before time began to
now. In Christ, we behold uncreated glory.
No created glory was ever like his. Christ's
glory shone from all eternity. Before the sun
beamed in the heavens, or the moon walked in
silvery brightness ; before the stars glittered in
the deep blue sky, or the earth sprang into ex-
istence ; Christ, the blessed Son of God, lay in
the bosom of the everlasting Father, enjoying
equal glory with him. The glorious Kedeeiner
of a lost worl I was set up from everlasting.
Hear his own leclaration " I was set up from
HIM CRUCIFIED. 203
everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the
earth was," and surely the glory cf the eternal
Son must be as old as himself. Yes, Christ has
always been, and will ever continue to be " the
brightness of his Father's glory, and the express
image of his person." "When he left the bosom
of his Father, and the regions of bliss, and
visited this fallen world with the message of
redeeming love, he only veiled his glory in hu-
manity. He lost nothing of his original glory
by his assumption of human nature. He was
as truly " the brightness of his Fathers glory"
when he lay in the manger at Bethlehem,
when he had not where to lay his head on
earth, or when he hung a dying victim on Cal-
vary's cross, as he was before his incarnation,
or as he now is, in his glorified state at the right
hand of God. Though his glory was veiled
in a human form, when he tabernacled in the
flesh, yet now and then a beam of that glory
darted through his human nature, proclaiming
to all around that he was divine. The disciples
beheld the glory of their Redeemer. Says the
beloved John. " The Word was made flesh and
dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full
of grace and truth."**
* Jc'ux i. 14,
204 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
Says another faithful follower of the Lord,
and an eye witness of his majesty, " He received
from God the Father honor and glory, when
there came such a voice to him from the ex-
cellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased. And this voice which came
from heaven we heard, when we were with him
in the holy mount."*
On mount Tabor, Peter, James and John got
a glimpse of the Saviour's glory, which made
them feel as if heaven had come down upon
eaifeh. There Christ's glory beamed forth in
heavenly splendor, "when his face did shine as
the sun, and his raiment was white as the
light."t There Moses and Elias also appeared
in glory, and spake of his decease which he
should accomplish at Jerusalem." What a glo-
rious, sacred spot ! How nearly allied to heaven !
What is all the splendor of the universe, con-
trasted with the resplendent scene of Tabor!
How gloomy I Contrasted with tjiat dazzling,
overpowering brightness which there emanated
from the blessed Jesus, the sun is darkness it-
self. Never had there been such a vivid mani-
festation of the glory of Christ on earth, as was
then displayed to the astonished disciples. Well
might Peter exclaim, f Lord, it is good for us to
* 2 Peter i 17, 18. f Matt xvii. 2.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 205
be here : if thou wilt, let us make here three
tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses,
and one for Elias." Delightful abode! To
dwell with Jesus : to be overshadowed with his
glory!
" If heaven be thus glorious, Lord,
Why must I keep from thence f
What folly is't that makes me loth
To die, and go from hence!"
Hasten on, joyful day, when I shall be ad-
mitted into the palace of the great King, when
I shall see him in his beauty, in his glory;
when I shall be made "a pillar in the temple
of God, and go no more out;" when I shall
dwell with Christ, yes, with that glorious Sa-
viour, whose blessed side was once pierced for
me.
Happy, unspeakably happy, will those be
whom Christ will bring to behold his glory!
Their bliss no mortal tongue can express.
They will reign with Jesus, and behold his
glory forever and ever. " To him that over-
cometh," says Christ, " will I grant to sit with
me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and
am set down with my Father in his throne."
It is the will of Christ, that all his people may
be with him, that they may. behold his glory.
Mark that beautiful prayer of his, in the 17th
206 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
chapter of John : "Father, I will that they also,
whon thou hast given me, be with me where I
am ; that they may , behold my glory, which
thou hast given me." For what is it that
Christ prays so fervently here? It is, that
those given him by his Father, may not only
be with him, but that they may also behold his
glory. That prayer has not ascended to heaven
in vain. It has been heard on high. In heaven,
all the redeemed around the throne of God, are
now beholding the glory of Christ. All " the
spirits of just men made perfect," are admiring
his beauty. This prayer will be fully answered,
when Christ shall bring forth the head-stone of
his living, glorious temple with shoutings; when
he shall exclaim, "Behold I and the children
which God hath given me:'* when every mem-
ber of his precious flock shall be gathered home
to himself; when even the feeblest lamb shall
be housed from the storm. Then shall we all
V 1 with Christ; then shall we behold his glory;
not veiled as it was in his humiliation, but blaz-
ing forth in full, unclouded splendor.
The glory of Christ will make eternity itself
JLO bright, unsullied day of bliss. This glory
will be manifested to the redeemed; they will
spend the revolving ages of a blissful eternity
in beholding it. It will irradiate the mansions
oi bliss ; it will adorn with immortal splendor
CHRIST,, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 207
and beauty every inhabitant of those mansions.
It will decorate with blooming youth countless
millions. It will light up a bright and glorious
abode fo: the redeemed. It will constitute the
purest, noblest, brightest heaven. What is
heaven but being with Christ, and beholding his
glory. This is heaven ! This is blessedness !
This is the bliss of saints! blessed privilege,
to be with Christ, to behold his glory. And all
believers shall soon be forever with him. What
a happy state to be ever with the Lord, behold-
ing his glory ! This made Paul long to be dis-
solved, that he might be with Christ. " I am in a
strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and
to be with Christ, which is far better."* t Imme-
diately after death, the soul of the believer is
with Christ, beholding his glory, "absent from
the body, and present with the Lord." How
many have longed for a sight of this glory of
Christ. How often has it cheered the heart of
the dying Christian, and filled his soul with the
hope of a glorious immortality. A few hours
before the great Dr. Owen breathed his last, a
friend informed him that he had just been
putting his work " On the glory of Christ, to
press, to whom the Dr. responded, " I am glad
to hear that that performance is put to press ;"
* Phil. i. 28
208 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
then lifting up his hands, and raising his eyea
as in a rapture, he exclaimed, "But "brother
Payne, the long looked for day is come at last,
in which I shall see that glory in another man-
ner than I have ever done yet, or was capable
of doing in this world."
A great part of heaven's happiness, will consist
in beholding the glory of Christ ; yes, the glory
of Christ will fill heaven with unutterable bliss.
blessed Jesus, show us thy glory; may
: t illuminate our pathway through a world of
Inrkness ; may it guide us to thee, the uncreated
source of life, light and glory. With thee is the
fountain of life ; in thy light shall we see light.
Wean our affections from a world that is so soon
to be wrapped in flames. Elevate our views
above the transient scenes of earth, its fading,
deceitful joys, to the permanent and enrapturing
bliss of heaven. May we be going up through
this wilderness world leaning on thee, our Be-
loved. While on earth may we live to thy
glory; and when done with mortal life, when
the messenger of death is sent to convey our
immortal spirits home, may we be safely con-
ducted " through death's dark vale" and Jordan's
swelling stream, to the heights of Zion, the city
of the great King, the heavenly Jerusalem, the
celestial Canaan, where thou, blessed Saviour,
reignest in everlasting glory.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 209
Oh ! that I felt my soul upborne
On Ture devotion's winga ,
Far above earth's deceitful joys
And sublunary things.
"Where thou, blessed Saviour, sitt'st enthroned
In everlasting light;
The glory of th' angelic host,
The source of their delight
' There in thy blissful presence reigns
Immortal joy serene;
No wintry storms are heard to roar,
Nor desolation seen.
" Around thee flow unmixed delights,
Like rivers deep and wide ;
While from ^* ocean of thy love,
Proceeds an endless tide.
" Can such a sinful creature, Lord,
Partake this wondrous grace,
To dwell with thee in heavenly bliss,
And view thy glorious face.
" Ah ! then, let sin and earth usurp
My wayward heart no more ;
Be thou, through life, my all in all,
My soul's unbounded store, 5
Have you obtained a glimpse of the glcry ol
fclie Sufferer of Calvary ? Is Christ glorious in
your view, or does he appear '* as a root out of a
dry gruund, having no form, nor comeliness, no
beauty that you should desire him ?" Is he, in
14
210 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
your estimatiDn, " the chiefest among ten thous-
and" all lovely, till glorious ; or do you " lightly
esteem the rock of your salvation ?" Have yon
seen Christ, in all his glory, not with the bodily
eye, but with that of faith, which scans the
heavens and views the Saviour there, as yours?
Or have you no faith in God's dear Son ? A re
you still rejecting the free offer of a crucified
Saviour; still counting his precious blood an
unholy thing ? These are solemn questions which
you are now called upon to answer. If you
have never viewed Christ as your glorious
Saviour, look to him now as such. Let faith
spread her wings towards him. Believe on his
glorious name; and "say not in thy heart, who
shall ascend into heaven? (that is to bring
Christ down from above:) or who shall descend
into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again
from the dead.) The word is nigh thee, even in
ihy mouth, and in thy heart; that is the word
of faith which we preach."*
To see Christ in the glory of his person,
in the fulness of his grace and as our onlv
Saviour, is the sight that affords perfect peace
that peace of God which passeth all un lerstand-
iug. This blessed sight fills the soul with joy
unspeakable and full of glory ; elevates the sin-
* Rom. x 6, 8.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 211
ner's view above sublunary objects, to those
blissful mansions in the skies, and cheers tte
believing soul, when standing on the threshold
of eternity, with the hope of a glorious immor-
tality. When we obtain a faith's view of Christ
and his glory, how despicable do the unhallowed
joys and pleasures of a dying world appear?
Even now one beam of the Saviour's glory
shining into our hearts, or the light of his
countenance lifted upon us, will afford us more
joy than all the glittering wealth of the world.
Hear an eminent saint of olden times exclaim :
" Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than
in the time that their corn and their wine in-
creased."
You who have embraced the glorious Saviour
will soon be made a partaker of his glory. " The
glory which thou gavest me," says Christ, "I
have given them." wonderful I wonderful !
not only to behold that glory, but to receive it
ourselves ! " The Lord will give glory." What
shall we render to Him for all his gifts ? ' Bless
the Lord O my soul ; and all that is within me.
bless his holy name." Every step you take on
earth will be a step heavenward. Constantly
beholding the glory of Christ in the mirror of
the word and ordinances, you will become more
and more transformed into his likeness. " We
all, ' says the apostle, " with open face beholding
212 CHRIST, AND HfM CRUCIFIED.
as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed
into the same image from glory to glory, even
as by the spirit of the Lord."* In the face of
Christ, we behold the glory of God, the bright-
ness of the divinity, shining forth in uncreated,
overpowering lustre. The holy Spirit illumin
ates our hearts, and enables us to discern this
effulgence of divine glory.
" God, who first commanded the light to shine
out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to
give the light of the knowledge of the glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ."f
Christ is crowned with all the radiance of the
Deity. "In him dwells all the fulness of the
godhead bodily." " In him are hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge." "The
word was made flesh," and the glory of God
shall shine through that flesh through all eter-
nity, and make that blessed form far more
glorious than the midday sun. How glorious
and exalted is Christ I Encircled with incon-
ceivable glory and seated on the throne of
heaven, he sways with uncontrollable power,
the sceptre of the universe. There is a glory in
the person of Christ that makes him unspeak-
ably precious to believers. There is a glory in
his perfections. There is a glory in his works,
2 Cor. iii. 18
f 2 Cor. ix. 6.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 213
" All tby works shall praise thee, Lord t and
thy saints shall bless thee." Yes, Christ is not
only glorious in his person, bat also in his
works. In the wjrks of creation he is encircled
with divine glory. "The heavens declare the
glory of God ; and the firmament showeth his
handy work;" and in that greater work the
redemption of a lost world, he is crowned with
incomprehensible glory, and exalted to the right
hand of God. "Now, we see Jesus, who was
made a little lower than the angels, for the suf-
fering of death crowned with glory and honor."*
Dear believer, this glorious Saviour is yours
For you he died ; for you. he lives ; for you he
reigns the Lord of glory. With the church you
may exclaim, " This is my beloved, and this is
my friend, daughters of Jerusalem ;" " How
great is his goodness, and how great is his
beauty !"
How attractive, how desirable, how lovely,
how glorious will Christ appear in heaven!
How will his glory shine there! When we
awake amid the splendors of immortality, the
first object that will excite our admiration vill
be that glorious Redeemer, who loved us, and
gwe himself for us; whose dying groans were
utse 'ed 01 Calvary ; whose bleeding heart
* Hcb ii. 9
214:
there showed the breadth, and length, and depth,
and height of redeeming love ! Then shall we
see with our very eyes, Him who was, for us,
taken, and by wicked hands Crucified and
slain ;" but, oh 1 we shall see him shining in
* effulgent glory.
The glory of the Man of Calvary will attract
the eyes of all the redeemed above, and he will be
forever " admired in all them that believe." The
perpetual presence of Christ and the continued
manifestation of his glory will always make
heaven one noontide of light and blessedness.
He will be continually before us, and his glory
will be constantly beaming upon us ; and our
sight will be so illuminated that we can steadily
behold that glory. Now we see through a glass
darkly ; but then face to face. Now, we could
not possibly bear the full effulgence of that
glory. It struck Paul, to the earth with blind-
ness when Jesus appeared to him, and when he
" saw in the way a light from heaven, above the
brightness of the sun, shining round about him."
% And on the manifestation of a glorified Saviour,
John falls to the earth as dead. But in heaveiy
we shall gaze with intense delight upon the
glorious sun of righteousness, shining in his
meridian splendor. Blessed be God ! that sun
once rose on our benighted world. That promise
has been fulfilled, "Unto you that fear my name,
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 215
ghall the sun of righteousness arise with healing
in his wings."'- That " true light, which li^hteth
every man that cometh into the world" pointing
us to heaven, the region of eternal glory, once
shone on earth. That light will eternally shim
in the upper world in the celestial mansions
There Christ will always manifest himself to hii
people, in all his glory. There they will no<
have to cry with Moses, " I beseech thee, show
me thy glory." All shall see it. Every saint
there shall be gazing forever upon the uncreated
glory of Immanuel. blessed sight !
Lord, prepare each of us for beholding this
glory. Unite our hearts to thce, by faith. May
we be growing in grace and in the knowledge
of thee our Lord and Saviour. Do thou,
Almighty Saviour, preserve us from the snares
and temptations of a world lying in wickedness,
and finally present us faultless before the pres-
ence of thy glory with exceeding joy.
In his sublime vision of the glory of Christ
Isaiah thus speaks, " In the year that king Uz
ziah died, I saw ateo the Lord sitting upon a
throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled
the temple. Above it stood the seraphims;
each one had six wings ; with twain he covered
his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and
* Ms It. iv 2.
216 CHRIST, AND HIM CKUCIFIED.
with twain lie did fly. And one cried unto an-
other, and said, Holy, holy, hol^, is the Lord of
hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory."*
That this was the glory of Christ, which Isaiah
saw, John, in the 12th chapter of his gospel,
asserts, " These things said Esaias, when he saw
his glory, and spake of him." On the lonely
isle of Patmos, the beloved disciple had a glor-
ious revelation of the Son of God. Heaven
opened and poured forth its glories upon him.
He was fanned with its breezes. He stood be-
wildered ana amazed amid its grand pageantry.
But one form more glorious than all other ob-
jects, filled him with profound awe and con-
sternation. It was the Lord Jesus. His count-
enance shone like the sun in his midday splendor.
Glory beamed from every part of ,ihat blessed
form, diffusing a flood of light on all around,
and blazing far, far away into eternity. It was
the dazzling form of the Lamb of God, in more
than earthly transfiguration that appeared to the
bewildered disciple. The description which he
furnishes of this glorified personage is this, "I
saw seven golden candlesticks ; and in the midst
Dt the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son
of Man, clothed with a garment down to the
toot, and girt about the paps with a golden
* I* vi. 1. TV
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 217
girdle. His head and his hairs were white like
wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a
flame of fire ; and his, feet like unto fine brass,
as if they burned in a furnace, and his voice as
the sound of many waters. And he had in his
right hand seven stars ; and out of his mouth
went a sharp two-edged sword ; and his count-
enance was as the sun shineth in his strength."*
This is Jesus of Nazareth, the same Jesus on
whose bosom the beloved disciple had so often
leaned. How glorious does he appear now?
So glorious, that John falls at his feet as dead.
This is the same Jesus whom the dying Stephen
saw standing on the right hand of God. Wher
his cruel persecutors were about to imbrue their
hands in the blood of this holy servant of God,
he being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up
steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of
God, -and Jesus standing on the right hand of
God.
This, Christian, is the same Jesus whose glory
you shall behold in heaven; whom you will
love and praise and adore with unceasing de-
light and seraphic vigor, through eternity's roll-
ing ages. Love and admire him now. Cleave
closely to him, and you will soon see his glory.
You wiK soon be with Christ. happy thought I
* Rev i. 12, 16.
218 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
Soon, very soon, shall the visions of earth vanish,
and the darkness of mortality disappear before
the rising glories of Imma.nuel's kingdom. The
time is short; the period is just at hand, when
we shall, with transporting joy, behold the dawn-
ing of that day which will never end, and the
rising of that sun which will never set. Then
" Thine e}^es shall see the King in his beauty :
they shall behold the land that is very far off."
Raised in glory, and caught up from the flames
of a burning, crumbling world, to meet the Lord
in the air, " when he shall come to be glorified
in his saints, and to be admired in all them that
believe ;" we shall, with him, soar to a brighter
world above, our everlasting happy home,
where no sin ever defiles, where no tears ever
flow, and where no death is ever feared. Enter-
lug into the golden city and its many mansions,
we shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, with Moses and Elias, with prophets
and apostles, in the kingdom of God. Standing,
not on Mount Tabor below, but on Mount Zion
above ; not with Moses and Elias alone, but with
" the general assembly and church of the first-
born, which are written in heaven ;" we shall
ever behold, contemplate and admire the glory
of Him who is light of heaven, the brightness of
God's glory, How gloriously will that celestial
city, the home of the redeemed, be illuminated
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 219
with the presence of Immanuel! Theio, no
natural light is required. "The city had no
need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine on
it; for the glory of God did lighttn it, and the
Lamb is the light thereof."* There, all will be
irradiated by the glory of God and the Lamb.
" The sun shall be no more thy light by day,
neither for brightness shall the moon give light
unto thee ; but the Lord shall be unto thee an
everlasting light, and thy God thy glory."f
There, from a reflection gf that glory, the right-
eous themselves shall shine forth as the sun in
the kingdom of their Father. Eternal glory
beams in Immanuel's land. Everlasting light
emanates from His blessed face. "Thy sun
shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon
withdraw itself; for the Lord shall be thfne
everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning
shall be ended." J " And there shall be no night
there ; and they need no candle, neither light of
the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light;
and they shall reign forever and eyer."
To this blessedness, to this glory, to this
honor, to this immortality, " the Spirit and the
Bride say, Come. And let him that heareth
say, Come. And let him thr.t is athirst, Come.
Rev. xxi. 28. f Isa, Ix. 19
t Isa 1.x. 20. Rev. mi. 6
220 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED,
And whosoever will, let him take the water of
life freely." 0, my friends 1 be wise in time ;
choose a glorious Christ now, and you shall
qhine as the stars forever and ever.
Now, "Blessed be the Lord God, the God of
Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And
blessed be his glorious name forever let the
wnole earth be filled with his glory Amen
and amen."
' He who on eai'^A as man was known
And bore our sins and pains.
Now, seated on the eternal thron<\
The God of glory reigns.
' His hands the wheels of nature gu*rte
With an unerring ski 1 . 1 ;
And countless worlds extended wide.
Obey his sov'reign will
' While harps unnumbered sound h is prat-v
In yonder world above ;
His saints on earth admire his ways,
And glory in his love.
4 His righteousness to faith reveai'd.
Wrought out for guilty worms ;
Affords a hiding place and shield.
From enemies and storms
This land, through which his pilgrims go
Is desoiate and dry ;
Bnt streams of grace irom him
Their thirst, to satisfy.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 221
'* When troubles, like a burning sun,
Beat heavy on their head ,
To this almighty Rock they run.
And find a pleasing shade.
:< How glorious he ! how happy they
In such a glorious Friend I
Whose love secures them ail ina v. ? ~
And vowm them ftt tLe ev.il "
222 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
CHAPTER IV
OI1RIST CRUCIFIED.
" Foi I determined not to know any thing amoag you, save
Jesns Christ and him crucified." 1 COR. ii. 2.
We preach Christ crucified."! COR. i. 23.
" When on the cross my Lord I see
Bleeding to death for wretched me.
Satan and sin no more can move,
For I am all transform'd to love.
His thorns and nails pierce through nr/ heart,
In ev'ry groan I bear a part ;
I view his wounds with streaming eyes.
But see 1 he bows his head and dies I
"Come, sinners, view the Lamb of God,
Wounded and dead, and bath'd in blooo
Behold his side, and venture near,
The well of endless life is here.
"Here I forget my cares and pains;
I drink, yet still my thirst remains;
Only the fountain head above
Can satisfy the thirst of love.
"Oh, that I thus could always feel!
Lord, more and more thy 1 ve reveal ;
Then my glad tongue shall loud proclaim
The grace and glory of thy name.
CHRIST', AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 223
" Thy name dispels my guilt and fear,
Revives my heart, and charms my ear
Affords a balm for every wound,
And Satan trembles at the sound."
The death of Christ was the most affecting
and solemn scene ever presented to the view of
men or angels. What a sight ! to see Christ on
the cross bleeding for sinners ! How astonish-
ing ! to see the <jing of glory, whom all the an-
gels of heaven worship and adore, bow his head
in death 1 Earth never before witnessed such a
sight. Heaven never before looked upon such
a scene. my soul, draw near and contemplate
it. Look towards Calvary with the cross erected
in thy view, and behold the Son of God nailed
to the accursed tree, his blessed hands, and side
and feet pierced, his blood streaming from every
pore, until pallid death sits upon his heavenly
brow, and he cries, " Father, into thy hands I
commend my spirit." This is the scene, the sol-
emn scene, upon which we are about to dwell.
"We have been contemplating the glory oi
Christ; we come now to notice his wonderful
death. We have seen him arrayed in the robes
of eternal glory ; now we see him laying aside
these bright robes, humbling himself and be
coming obedient unto death, even the, death of
the cross. Amazing condescension ! that the
glorioup Soi o ? God shoul:! forsake the realms
224 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
of everlasting day, leave the throne cf glory,
and fcake up his abode in this dark region of sin
and suffering ! Boundless love ! that He should
expire on the cross for a guilty world !
" Oh ! love without compare,
Oh ! love beyond degree ;
That he, whom cherubim adore,
Should bleed and die for me 1"
Christ became man that he might die for man,
that his precious blood might flow for the re-
demption of a lost world. The land of Judea
was the birthplace of the Saviour of the world.
It was once the glory of all lands. Jerusalem
was its renowned metropolis. Here, God was
manifested in the flesh. Here, the Son of God
walked with man, clad as a man, in the garb of
humanity. How near was heaven to earth
when Jesus dwelt among men, promulgating
the blessed gospel of the grace of God, to a sin-
ful, dying world! What joyful tidings were
conveyed to the shepherds of Bethlehem, when
"the angel of the Lord came upon them, and
the glory of the Lord shone round about them."
u And the angel said unto them, fear not, for
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people. For unto you is
born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour,
which i 4 Christ tne Lord." Well might the
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 225
bright host of heaven burst into that sublime
birth-song of Immanuel! "Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, good-will toward
man."
Christ came to reconcile a rebel earth to tho
offended majesty of heaven ; to suffer, the just
for the unjust; to give his life a ransom for
many; to die on Calvary. And when that
eventful hour, fixed upon in the. counsels of
eternity, in which the Son of God should pour
out his soul unto death, had arrived, how im-
pressive, how solemn was the scene that trans-
pired on Calvary's sacred mount! How great
were the sufferings of God's beloved Son ! How
painful the death he endured ! A series of un-
paralleled sufferings which he bore in his own
person, immediately preceded the crucifixion of
our Saviour. In the garden of Gethsemane, in
the judgment-hall on the way to Calvary, and
after his arrival there, his sufferings were in-
tensely severe. We design to notice these.
The whole life of Christ was a life of sorrow
and suffering. He was always " a man of sor-
rows, and acquainted with grief." From the
ge^ to the cross he trod a thorny pathway.
For you, sinner, he lived a suffering life, and
for }-ou he died a painful death. Should not
the love, the dying love of Christ, constrain you
to love hin. who first loved you, and gave him
15
226 CHRIST, AND HIM CKUCIF1ED,
self for you, yes, his own glorious self. Surely
it should. Surely your whole heart should be
a flame of burning love to your adorable Saviour,
" Whom having not seen, ye love."
Christ stood in the room and stead of dying
sinners. He was our representative, and as such
he endured the penalty of a broken law. He
bore our griefs, and carried our sorrows. All
our iniquities were laid on him. No wonder
then, that his holy soul was almost overwhelmed
when all the waves and billows of divine wrath
were about to gather and break over his devoted
head ! No wonder that he should cry, " O rny
Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from
me." What intense sufferings the bh'sscM Jesus
endured, when he was about to make his soul
an offering for sin ! when he bore our sins in his
own body on the tree !
Contemplate the scenes and circumstances of
the Saviour's suffering and^death. Cull up in
your mind those memorable names consecrated
.by the passion and death of Christ, Jerusa-
lem, Gethsemane, Calvary. The remem-
brance of Jerusalem awakens some of the most
thrilling associations that ever clustered around
the memory. Here, some of the most momentous
events in the annals cf time, or in the rec.oMis
of etenrty, transpired. Here, was displayed
the most anazing and glorious scene tuat wn?
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 227
ever exhibited on this terrestrial globe. Here,
on Mount Calvary, the Son of God, the Crea-
tor of the Universe, once hung in agonies
and death; and here, he accomplished that
wonderful, that great and sublime scheme oi
man's redemption, which is the wonder of an-
gels, which will form the delightful theme of
the redeemed in glory, through the countless
ages of eternity. What a sacred spot for med-
itation ! But turn to Gethsemane. This is a
name deeply engraved on the heart of every
Christian. Here Christ suffered as never man
suffered; suffered for you, sinners. Here, he
endured that bitter agony for you, when "his
sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling
down to the ground."
Now let us view that mysterious Mount, just
without the gates of Jerusalem, on which the
Man of sorrows died. Calvary ! at the mention
of that name, earth thrills with new emotions of
joy, and heaven bursts into long, loud anthems
of praise. Intense glory beams from the sum-
mit of Calvary ; but its moral heights no mor-
tal eye can view ; its top is lost in the glorious
atmosphere of the upper world. In heaven
Calvary will awaken many a glorious associa-
tion, when we there look back and contemplate
the wondrous scene it commemorates. There it
will live forevei in the re nembrance of all tjie
228 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
redeemed, and be the eternal source of their
highest bliss !
When Christ had spent more than thirty
years on earth, the ht.ur the eventful hour of
his departure at length arrived, and with his
sufferings full in view, he hastens to Jerusalem
to offer himself a sacrifice for our sins. How he
longs to reach his ignominious cross to be bap-
tized with his own blood to accomplish our
salvation on Calvary ! Blessed be God for such
a Saviour, whose delights were always with the
sons of men !
The following beautiful lines on "the Ee-
deemer hastening to suffer," are from the PCD
of Cowper
" The Saviour, what a noble flame
"Was kindled in his breast,
When, hasting to Jerusalem,
He marched before the rest!*
" Good-will to men and zeal for God,
His every thought engross;
He longs to be baptized with blood, f
He pants to reach his crfcss.
' With all his suff'rings full in view,
And woes to us unknown,
Forth to the task his spirit flew,
'Twas love that urged him on.
* Luke xix 23.
f Luke xii. 60.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 229
"Lord, we return thee what we can!
Our hearts shall sound abroad
Salvation to the dying Man,
And to the rising God!
"And while thy bleeding glorif ' ,re
Engage our wondering eyes
We learn our lighter cross to t^ar,
And hasten to the skies."
Arrived at Jerusalem, for the last time, the
Saviour eats the passover with his disciples, and
institutes the sacramental supper in that last
gloomy night which preceded his painful death.
In his dying love he instituted that ordinance
which will, through all time commemorate his
sufferings and death.
" And as they were eating, Jesus took bread,
and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the
disciples, and said, Take, eat ; this is my body.
And he took the cup and gave thanks, and gave
it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it ; for this is
my blood of the new testament, which is shed
for many for the remission of sins."* Who
would not obey the injunction, the dying in-
junction, of the Friend of sinners, " This do in
remembrance of me ?" Come and manifest your
love to the Lord Jesus, at his c wn table ; come,
for all things are now ready. ' Eat, friends j
* Matt. xxvi. 26-28.
230' CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved."
What tender love did the blessed Jesus manifest
to his sorrowful disciples, when he was about to
leave them, and bleed and die on Calvary !
" Let not your heart be troubled," says he, " ye
believe in God, believe also in me. In my
Father's house are many mansions : if it were
not so I would have told you. I go to prepare
a place for you. And if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come again and receive you
unto myself; that where I am, there ye may
be also." Consoling words ! What animating
prospects are here presented to the humble fol-
lowers of Christ ! Our Father's house, the many
mansions of glory, our being with Christ, where
he is, our future felicity in heaven, are here all
held up for our encouragement, while in a
suffering world. How solacing, how joyful to
the weary Christian, struggling amidst the storms
and afflictions of life, to find a happy resting
place in our Father's house, in Immanuel's
land ! " Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ; which according to his
abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a
lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead ; to an inheritance incorruptible
and undefiled, and that fadeth not away; re-
served in heaven for y:u, who are kej: t by the
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 231
power of God through faith unto salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time."*
How brightly did the dying love of Jesiib
shine in that " upper room" at Jerusalem !
"Having loved his own which were in the
world, he loved them unto the end." .Brighter
and brighter will that redeeming love of his
eternally shine in the upper room of glory.
There all Christ's dear children shall sit down
at the banquet of love spread there, from which
they shall rise no more ; but where they shall
forever "eat of that hidden manna," and drink
of that living "water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeding out of the throne of God and of the
Lamb;" where they will forever enjoy the pres-
ence and smiles of a gracious Redeemer.
Having uttered that beautiful prayer, "Father,
the hour is come ; glorify thy Son, that thy Son
also may glorify thee," &c., the Saviour calls
upon his faithful band, "Arise, let us go hence.'
" When Jesus had spoken these words, he wen
forth with his disciples over the brook Kedron,
where was a garden, into which he entered, and
his disciples."
The sun had passed the western norizon, and
the mantle of darkness was spread over a slum-
bering world, \vhen that mournful group crossed
* Peter i. 8-5.
232 CHRIST. AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
the Kedron, and entered :lie garden of Gethsern-
ane. Thither Jesus had often resorted with his
disciples. The spot was well known to them all.
But never before had the Saviour come hither
with a heart so full of sorrow. Listen to his
mournful cry, "My soul," said he, "is exceed-
ingly sorrowful, even unto death : tarry ye here,
arid watch with me." Your sins, reader, bore
him down. The sins of a lost world over-
whelmed him, and he "fell on his face, and
prayed, saying, my Father, if it be possible,
let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I
will, but as thou wilt."
If that bitter cup had passed the Saviour's
lips, where would you, where would I have
been this day ? Without a Saviour, without a
heaven, passing our weary days in darkness and
despair. Impenetrable gloom would have be-
clouded our bright immortal hopes. But thanks
be unto God for his unspeakable gift, for the
gift of Jesus ; for his precious life, for his pre-
cious death, which brings salvation to a lost
world! The sufferings of our Saviour in the
garden of Gethsemane, were all endured for us,
g'uilty sinners. what piercing agony is that
which rends his heart, and forces "great drops
of blood" down those pale cheeks moistening
the green earth ! " And being in an agony, he
prayed mo'e earnestly and his sweat was as
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 233
it were great drops of blood falling down to the
ground."* After rising from the earth he had
moistened with his blood, Christ is apprehended
and betrayed into the hands of sinners. The
sword of divine justice is now fairly unsheathed.
God the Father is now commissioning the sword
of his justice to awake against his own dear Son,
who is now delivered for our offences.
"Awake, sword, against my Shepherd, and
against the man that is my fellow, saith the
Lord of hosts: smite the Shepherd, and the
sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn my
hand upon the little ones."
The innocent sufferer of Gethsemane, who is
none other than the Creator of worlds, and the
Author of our being, is hurried away to the
judgment hall of an earthly court, there to be
derided and condemned to death by sinful mor-
tals. There the blessed Redeemer gave "his
back to the smiters, and his cheeks to them that
plucked off the hair;" there he "hid not his
face from shame and spitting."f There the glo-
rious Son of God " was wounded for our trans-
gressions, bruised for our iniquities," wounded
and bruised till tis heavenly " visage was so
marred more than any man, and his form more
than the sons of men."f "What condescen
* Luke mi. 44. \ Is. 1. 6. \ Is. Hi 14.
23-4 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
sion and love are Ii3re displayed ! Wonder
heavens ! Be astonished earth ! Behold that
bleeding victim, wearing a thorny crown, see
his life's blood streaming from every lacerated
vein, and read in that bleeding heart the vast-
ness of redeeming love. He who now wears
that crown of thorns for sinners once wore a
crown of glory at God's right hand.
What manner of love was that which led
Christ to make such an exchange as this a
crown of glory for a crown of thorns ! It was
the love, the infinite love he ever bore to dying
sinners. Nothing brought him from his throne
of glory to his cross of suffering but eternal,
redeeming love. Look at the bleeding Jesus
again and again till your hearts overflow with
love to him. Pilate said to the Jews, " Behold
the man !" We would say to you in the lan-
guage of a greater and better than Pilate, " Be-
hold the Lamb of God which taketh away the
sin of the world !" Behold Him as your Saviour,
bleeding for your sins. Behold Him till the eye
of faith brightens, and you exclaim with Thomas,
" My Lord (yes my bleeding Lord) and my God."
In that judgment hall the Lord of glory is con-
demned t:> death. There "he was oppressed,
and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his
month ; h? is brought ar a lamb to the slaughter.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED, 235
and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so
he opened not his mouth."
But let us follow Him to the cross. That
last dreadful night of the Son of God had passed.
Morning had broke as clear and beautiful as
ever. The sun had risen in his strength, and
his glorious midday beams were now gladdening
the oriental landscape ; all nature was smiling
around, when Christ, bearing his cross, thronged
by an immense crowd of bitter enemies arid
wondering spectators, is led away to be crucified.
Leaving the gates of the crowded city, that
train is seen ascending the slope of Mount Cal-
vary. What, views, what scenes are now pre-
sented to the astonished gaze. There stands
Jerusalem in all its glory ; Mount Zion with
its countless edifices, palaces, and towers of
strength; Mount Moriah with its magnificent
temple, whose glorious form dazzles the eye of
the beholder as the sunbeams fall upon it ; and
a little before you, arises a mysterious Mount,
on whose summit the cross of Christ is to be
erected.
But there was a far more interesting and
glorious sight than was ever before exhibited
on earth, passing before }^ou. All heaven was
gazing with profound interest upon it. There
was the Son of God, the glorious Redeemer of a
lost world , going to ransom his people with his
236 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
own blood, to pay the last farthing that God'a
holy law demanded, to make an end of sin,
to bring in an everlasting righteousness, to
vanquish Satan and all his legions, to triumph
over death itself, and the gloomy grave. There
was the Captain of our salvation going to open
the portals of heaven and lead millions of
Adam's sons- to glory. There was One whose
arm had made the heaven of heavens going to
be nailed to a cross. " And he bearing his cross
went forth into a place, called the place of a
skull, which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha;
where they crucified him, and two others with
him, on either side one, and Jesus in the
midst."*
What a scene is now transpiring on Calvary!
Thousands are gazing on the Son of God welter-
ing in his own blood. Well might angels leave
their thrones to look upon such a scene. Well
might mortals be amazed at such love as
shines around that cross, and dazzled with that
glory which beams from Calvary. The holy,
the innocent Jesus is nailed to the cross for sin-
ners. But as his murderers are, with heavy
blows, driving the nails into his blessed hands
and feet, those pale, quivering lips mutter strange
words, which partake more of the language of a
n xix, 17, 18.
CHRIST. A Si) HIM CRUCIFIED. 237
God than a man; which breathe nothing bat
pardoning love. It is the dyinj| prayer of Jesus
for his murderers, 'Father, forgive them: for
they know not what they do."
Blessed Jesus ! thou art compassion itself.
speak these words to every reader. Say to him
to her, " Son, daughter, be of good cheer ; thy
sins are forgiven thee." " Father, forgive them ;
for they know not what they do !" That prayer
was soon answered. Many who had vociferated
" Crucify Him, Crucify Him, "'were soon after-
wards crying, " Men and brethren, what shall we
do to be saved ?" They were indeed forgiven
and accepted by him whom they had crucified.
Almighty Saviour! thy power is the same
now ; break each heart of stone. Thy grace is
the same now ; pour it forth on guilty sinners.
Then will they look to thee whom they have
pierced, and rnourn !
" ' Father, forgive, (the Saviour said,)
They know not what they do;'
His heart was moved, when thus he pray
For me, my friends, and you.
He saw that as the Jews abus'd
And crucified his flesh ;
So he, by us, would bt refhs'd,
Au 1 crucified afresh.
238 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
Through love of sin, we long were pror
To ac4 as Satan bid ;
But now with grief and shame we own,
We knew not what we did.
'We knew not the desert of sin,
Nor whom we thus defied ;
Nor where our guilty souls had been,
If Jesus had not died?
" We knew not what a law we broke
How holy, just and pure !
Nor what a God we durst provoke,
But thought ourselves secure.
" But Jesus all oui guilt foresaw,
And shed his precious blood
To satisfy the holy law,
And make our peace with Gcd.
"My sin, dear Saviour, made thee bleed,
Yet didst thou pray for me !
I knew not what I did, indeed,
When ignorant of thee."
For three long hours did the Saviour hang,
bleeding on the cross, enduring indescribable
agonies. Oh ! was there ever sorrow like that
which a dying Saviour felt! Well might the
suffering Jesus exclaim, " Behold, and see if
there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow,
which is done unto me, wherew.th the Lord
hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger."
One wave after another broke over the Saviour's
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 239
soul, till the last, heaviest of all, came rolling
on to overwhelm him. His Father his own
Father, had deserted him; and from that bloody
cross arose a most piercing cry, " My God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Amidst
this dreadful suffering, nature seems to synr
pathize with her bleeding Author. She gives a
groan that makes the earth tremble, and turns
the heavens into blackness. How awful the
period! Darkness covers the land; the sun is
darkened; the earth quakes; the rocks are rent;
the veil of the temple is rent in twain; the
graves are opened, and sleeping saints arise.
" Now, from the sixth hour there was darkness
over all the land unto the ninth hour. And
behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain
from the top to the bottom : and the earth did
quake, and the rocks rent ; and the graves were
opened, and many bodies of saints which slept
arose, and came out of the grave after his resur-
rection, and went into the holy city, and ap-
peared unto many."* Well may the sun turn
black in the heavens ; well may the earth quake,
and the rocks rend, when that divine Personage
' t'
is in the arms of death ; and well may a heathen
centurion exclaim at such a sight, "Truly this
man was the Son of God." Amidst this awful
* Matu A* 4fc, 51, 68.
24:0 CHRIST, AND HIM CKUCIFIED.
convulsion of nature, are heard the dying words
>f the Man of Calvary. In tremulous tones
they fall on the ears of the amazed spectators;
but the human ear was never before greeted
with such joyful sounds with such glorious
tidings.
That bleeding Sufferer never bowed his head
in death, until he had conquered every foe and
exclaimed with his departing breath, in the lan-
guage of triumph, "It is finished." " When
Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he
said, It is finished ;. and he bowed his head, and
gave up the ghost."* "It is finished!" At.
the mention of these words the universe thrill?
with joy. Glad tidings 1 let them ring from
pole to pole let them be loudly proclaimed
froin every pulpit, published from every press
let every Christian blaze tnem aoroau ; lot every
missionary fly with them to heathen lands ; let
all the ends of the earth hear the joyful sound,
"It is finished 1"
\V hen Christ died, the redemption of a lost
world was finished. The gates of the New
Jerusalem above were then opened to admit the
redeemed sinner. Heaven was then at peace
with earth. God could then look in compassion
and love on a rebel world could then encircle
* John xix. SO
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 241
in his gracious arms the vilest of Adam's apos-
tate race.
When Christ had commended his spirit into
the hands of his Father, the solemn scene on
Calvary soon closed. The astonished multitude
began to leave the sacred spot, and march to-
wards a noisy city. " And all the people that
came together to that sight, beholding the things
which were done, smote their breasts and re-
turned."* But reader, follow not a thoughtless
world. Stay on Calvary. There view the
bleeding glories of Immanuel. There taste the
sweetness of redeeming love. There contem-
plate a glorious, finished salvation. O my soul,
look to that precious bleeding Saviour; trust
him for his grace ; praise him for his love, and
adore him for that prand atonement which IIP
made on Caivat %
! Let me dwell 011 Golgotiit,
Weep and love my life away
While I see him on the tree
Weep, and bleed, and die for 11 ;
That dear blood for sinners spilt,
Shows ray sin in all its guilt;
Ah, my soul, he bore the loml,
Thou hast slain the Lamb of Gctf
Luke xxiii
16
242 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED
Hark I his dying word, ' Forgive
Father, let the sinner live ;
Sinner wipe the tears away,
I thy ransom freely pay.'
WTiile I hear this grace reveal'd,
And obtain a pardon seal'd ?
All my soft affections more,
Waken'd by the force of love.
Farewell, we rid, thy gold is dross,
Now I see the bleeding cross ;
rfesus died to set me free
From the law, and sin and theel
He has dearly bought my soul,
Lord, accept and claim the whole
To thy will I all resign,
t no more ciy o^vu, bt thin*;
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 243
CHA1TER V.
CHRIST CRUCIFIED CONTINUED.
" Before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set
forth crucified." GAL. iii. 1.
" Christ our paseover is sacrificed for us." 1 COR. v. 7.
EEADER, before your eyes Jesus Christ lias
been evidently set forth crucified. You have
followed him to Gethseniane ; from Gethsemane
to the judgment hall ; from the judgment hall
to Calvary. You have seen him extended on
the cross, bathed in blood. You have heard
his dying groans, and seen him bow his head
and expire. Before your intellectual vision
Calvary's mournful scene has been arrayed.
Now let us inquire into the cause of the
sufferings and death of Christ. Why does the
Lord of life and glory thus suffer ? Why does
he endure that piercing agony and that bloody
sweat in gloomy Gethsemane ? Why is he con-
demned to the death of Calvary ? Look at the
crucified Jesus. Why does he hang on that
bloody cross? Why are those blessed hands
and feet nailed to the accursed tree? Why is
244: CHEIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
that dear side pierced with the soldier's spear ?
Why does the immaculate Lar-b of God thus
bleed ? Ah ! sinner, it is for you. For you
Christ endured that indescribable agony in
Gethsemane, and those excruciating pains on
Calvary. For you, the blood trickles down
those pale cheeks, and streams from that pierced
side. For you, the Son of God endures the
hidings of his Father's face, till he is led to
exclaim in the bitterness of his soul, " My God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" and for
you his last breath is drawn, and his last cry
uttered, " It is finished." could you but see
with faith's vision, what Christ has done for you,
surely your whole heart would burn with love
to such a Saviour, who, to ransom your precious
soul from eternal woe, shed his own blood!
That precious blood was not shed in vain; it
was poured out to cleanse you from the guilt of
sin. It streamed down that cross to wash away
the moral stains of a polluted world. Not all
the blood that flowed from the Jewish altars
could do this. But that vicarious sacrifice
offered on Calvary, expiates the greatest guilt.
The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin.
The meritorious obedience, sufferings, and death
of the incarnate Son of God, afford an ample
satisfaction for sin. God's holy, but violated
law requires noihing more. Now there is no-
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 245
thing to condemn believers in Christ. " There
is therefore nownc condemnation to them which
are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
bat after the Spirit."
In the 8th chapter of Romans a chapter that
ought to be written in golden letters the Apos-
tle boldly exclaims, " Who shall lay any thing
to the charge of God's elect? It is God that
justifieth : who is he that condemneth? " It is
Christ that died." This is the only plea that a
guilty sinner can make before a just God. " It
is Christ that died." Precious truth !
Blessed Jesus ! it is from thy death that we
derive our life, our immortal life. It is from
thy bleeding side that we drink of the living
waters of life, that we draw our purest joys and
our highest felicities. We thank thee, Almighty
Saviour, for thy precious death, which confers
such unspeakable blessings on sinners. '
Christ died that we might live. He died for
us. The decease which he accomplished at Je-
rusalem was for our sins, " Christ died for our
sins, according to the Scriptures."* " He was
manifested to take away our sins."f "Who
his own self bare our sins in his own body on
the tree, that we being dead to sins, should live
unto righteousness, by whose stripes ye were
* . Cor. xv. X. t 1 John iii. 5
246 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
healed."* "Christ also hath once suffeied for
sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring
us to Gpd."f Sin, then, was the procuring cause
of the sufferings and death of God's dear Son.
Ah ! sinner, you have slain the innocent Lamb
of God. You have caused those wounds on Im-
manuel's glorious person. Your sBfc pierced
him to the very heart. Will you not then look
on. Him whom you have pierced, and mourn ?
O look and live, for in that look there is life.
Look to Him who is lifted up on the cross for
you. Have you looked to Christ for salvation ?
Looking to Christ is nothing more than believ-
ing on his glorious name. Have you faith in
Him, in his atoning blood? Saving faith in a
crucified Christ is all that is required to fit the
vilest sinner for glory. " Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.";); We
entreat you again to x look to a dying Saviour.
Let your eyes turn to that bloody tree, whose
leaves are for the healing of the nations; for
the healing of your soul. Listen to the Saviour's
own gracious call. Hark ! from the top of Cal-
vary, I hear the blessed invitation fall from the
lips of the dying Man, " Look unto me, and be
ye saved, all the ends of the earth." From
Pet ii 24. f 1 Pet iii 18.
Acts xvi. 81.
OHBIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 247
heaven's high throne I hear it still proclaimed
by the glorious Eedeemer, " Look unto me and
be ye saved." It is the voice of Immanuel
calling sinners home to glory. It is the voice
of God speaking in the tenderest accents of re
deeming love.
" The God -who once to Israel spoke
From Sinai's top, in fire and smoke,
In gentler strains of gospel grace,
Invites us now to seek his face.
* He wears no terrors on his brow,
He speaks in love, from Zion, now,
It is the voice of Jesus' blood.
Calling poor wand'rers home to God.
The holy Moses quak'd and fear'd
When Sinai's thundering law he heard ;
But reigning grace, with accent mild,
Speaks to the sinner as a child.
"Hark! how from Calvary it sounds;
From the Redeemer's bleeding wounds ;
* Pardon and grace I freely give,
Poor sinner, look to me and live.'
What other arguments can move
The heart that slights a Saviour's lore
Yet till Almighty power constrain,
This matchless love is preach'd in vain
O Saviour, let thy power be felt,
And cause each stony heart to melt!
Deeply impress upon our youth,
THe light and force of gospel truth.*
248 CHKIST. AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
"When Christ was crucified the veil of the
temple was rent in twain, thus showing that
the way into the holiest of all even into heaven
was now opened by the blood that flowed from
Immanuel's veins. No more sacrifices were
required. ' The great Antitype the bleeding
Lamb of God had been offered. Sinner, heaven
is now opened to receive you. Yile as you are,
you will be accepted if you only look to a cru-
cified Jesus if you only trust in him for your
whole salvation. will you not embrace that
Saviour, who will lead you to glory ? Are not
the joys of a blissful eternity worth striving for ?
Then " give all diligence to make your call-
ing and election sure ; for if ye do these things,
ye shall never fall : for so an entrance shall be
ministered unto you abundantly into the ever-
lasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ."* Seek an interest in Christ now. Then
all the glories of heaven will be yours. If a
crucified Christ is yours, blessings innumerable
will flow around your path to immortality, and
through the merits of Immanuel you will at
length gain the happy shores of a blessed world,
where the wicked cease from troubling, and
where the weary are at rest. Glorious rest!
Who would not strive to obtain it? Christ en-
* 2 Peter L 10 11
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 249
dured the painful death of the cross to purchase
this rest for his people. Christ died, a sacrifice
for their sins, thus paving the way for their
eternal salvation. He died, a sacrifice for the
sins of a lost world. " Christ was once offered
to bear the sins of many."* He was crucified for
a " multitude which no man can number, of all
nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues."
Sinner, repair to the foot of the cross, and roll
your burden of guilt on its bleeding victim
the Lord Jesus. There your burden will be-
come light ; and there is room for you also tc
stand and receive the balm which drops from
the top of that bloody tree for the healing of a
diseased world. Though you may be the chief
of sinners, yet you are invited to come to that
cross. He who once, in his infinite love for you,
bled on it, himself calls you. " Come unto me,"
says the Saviour, in language as compassionate
as ever flowed from human lips. " Come unto
me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest."f Go, heavy-laden sinners,
and find rest in Christ. Enter into rest now by
believing in him. Kemember that your in-
iquities were laid on the -head of a bleeding
Saviour. "The Lord hath laid on him the
iniquity of us all." " He was wounded for oar
% Hebrews ix. 23. f Matt, xi, 28.
250 CHRIST, AND HIM CKUCIFIED.
transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities,
the chastisement of our peace was laid upon
him; and with his stripes we are healed."*
" Christ our passover is sacrificed for us."f His
death is our life ; his dear wounds and bleeding
side, our soundness and health. Now God is
pacified, and the sinner saved by the death of
Jesus.
To those who are looking to a crucified Ke-
leemer, and relying entirely on the merits of
ais blood for life and salvation, the sweet lan-
guage of a reconciled God now is, " Comfort ye,
comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak
ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her,
that her warfare is accomplished, that her in-
iquity is pardoned ; for she hath received of the
Lord's hand double for all her sins."$ Blessed
consolation ! This is the language of our gra-
cious Heavenly Father, and oh ! how reviving
is it to the poor penitent sinner, who is often
oppressed with a sense of guilt and borne down
with the apprehension of impending wrath. He
is now enabled to shout with the adoring prophet
in that sweet song " Lord, I will praise thee :
though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is
Is. liii. 5. f 1 Cor. v. 7.
\. Christ's dying for us is as much in God's account as if we
had twice over borne tl > eternal agonies of hell. McCnEYNK.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 251
turned away, and thou ccmfortedst me. Be-
hold, God is my salvation ; I will trust, and not
be afraid : for the Lord Jehovah is my strength
and my song ; he also is become my salvation." 59 *
You may well trust a crucified Bedeerner with
your soul and its immortal concern, for he has,
by his obedience and death, effected a complete
salvation for you. He breathed out his precious
life for you ; but he rose again for your justifi-
cation. He u was delivered for our offences, and
raised again for our justification."f "I lay
doAvn my life," says Christ, "for the sheep.'
And again,, " I lay down my life, that I might
take it again. No man taketh it from me, but
I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay
it down, and I have power to take it again.
This commandment have I received of my
Father.";):
Christ was indeed laid in the cold and silent
tomb ; but God did not suffer his Holy One to
see corruption. The sepulchre could not hold
Him. He triumphed over the grave. He burst
the fetters of death, and in a glorious form,
ascended to heaven. There he ever lives to in-
tercede for sinners ; there he stands with open
arms to* receive the vilest of the vile. " Where-
* Is, xii. 1 2.
f Kim. iv. 25.
John x. 15-17 18.
252 CHRIST, AffD HIM CRUCIFIED.
fore he is able also to save them to tuc ucter-
most that come unto God by him, seeing he ever
liveth to make intercession for them."*
Christ is not only able, but willing to save
sinners; yea. he rejoices in their salvation. He
delights to pluck them as brands from the burn-
ing, to make them monuments of his victorious
grace, trophies of his redeeming love, pillars
in his glorious temple above, where they shall
sing the song of redemption through all eternity.
" He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall
be satisfied."f He "for the joy that was set
before him (the joy of saving sinners,) endured
the cross, despising the shame, and is (now) set
down at the right hand of the throne of God."$
A crucified Eedeemer is still carrying on his
blessed work of saving sinners. His salvation
is to the uttermost ; none need despair.
Come to Christ, and salvation is yours. Be-
fore closing this chapter, we would just glance
at the amazing love exhibited in the death of
Christ. Would you see the highest manifesta-
tion of eternal love? Then contemplate Christ
crucified. Here is a grand exhibition of infinite
love. In the cracifixion of the glorious Re-
deemer, the brightest love that eTer shone on
Helx vii. 25. fls-liiL IL
f Heb. xiL 2.
HIM CRUCIFIED. 253
earth is displayed. What boundless love is seerj
here ! The infinite love of Christ, shining in all
its glory ! What bat infinite love brought him
from the height of bliss, to the depths of suffer-
ings, from the throne of heaven to the cross of
O 7
Calvary ! What but infinite love made him a
suffering man and a dying Saviour ! What but
infinite love made him hasten to Jerusalem, to
suffer for sinners 1 What but infinite love led
him to Gethserpane, to endure those agonies for
sinners, where his blessed form was covered with
bloody sweat ! What but infinite love nailed
him to the cross, there to bleed and die for sin-
ners! "Greater love hath no man than this,
that a man lay down his life for his friends."*' 4
But oh ! the greatest wonder in the universe is,
that " while we were yet sinners, Christ died for
us." Think of this, wonder at it, be ami/zed at
it ! Christ, the glorious Son of God, dying for
you a vile sinner, a rebel worm! O admire
that love which pitied you in your lost condition,
visited your'habitation, and raised you from the
depths of sin and suffering, to become an heir
of eternal life, and of eternal glory. " For when
we were yet without strength, in due time Christ
died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a right-
eous man will one die; yet peradventure ' for a
* John xv. 18.
254 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
good man some would even dare to die. Bu>
God commendeth his love towards us, in tha>
while we were yet sinners Christ died for us."*
How vast is this love ! Surpassing love of a
dying Saviour ! thy breadths and lengths have
never been compassed by a human thought ; thy
depths never fathomed by a created intelligence ;
thy heights never scanned by a seraph's gaze.
Dear believer, may you, the object of divine
love, be strengthened with might by the spirit
of God in the inner man, and be " able to com-
prehend with all saints what is the breadth, and
length, and depth, and height" of this stupen-
dous love, " a length which reaches from ever-
lasting to everlasting; a breadth that encom-
passes every intelligence and every interest ; u
depth which reaches the lowest state of human
degradation and misery; and a height thai
throws floods of glory on the throne and crown
of Jehovah!"
What a theme ! the dying love of the crucified
Son of God ! Well may angels desire to dwell
on this mystery! Well may saints be enrap
lured with this profound subject! What heart
is so obdurate as not to be DD sited by its touch-
ing exhibition, or so benighted as not to be
dazzled by its glory ! IIow wonderful ! that he
* 1 Rom. v % 6, 8.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 255
who kindled up the stars of heaven, should take
upon him our nature, and die in our room and
stead' Amazing love! This is the wonder of
wonders, the unsearchable riches of Christ :
" r^ot to be thought of, but with tides of joy;
Not to be mentioned, but with shouts of praise."
Truly, the love of Christ passeth knowledge.*
Those, and those alone, who have stood by the
cross and viewed Immanuel in agonies and
death, bleeding and dying for their sins; and
have felt that healing balm applied to their dis-
eased souls; have seen all their sins washed
away with the blood of God, their ransom paid,
and their pardon sealed, will realize the follow-
ing very appropriate and beautiful lines :
" In evil long I took delight,
Unawed by shame or fear;
Till a new object struck my sight,
And stopp'd my wild career.
"I saw one hanging on a tree,
In agonies and blood ;
Who fix'd his languid eyes on me.
As near his cross I stood.
* In the first Part of this work, entitled " Thoughts on th
love of Christ as manifested to a Lost World,' we have en-
deavored to throw out some hints on this delightfu. them*
To this we respectfully refer the reader.
256 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
Sure, never to my latest breath,
Can I forget that look ;
It seem'd to charge me with his death.
Though not a word he spoke.
*My conscience felt, and own'd the guilt
And plunged me in despair;
I saw my sins his blood had spilt,
And help'd to nail him there.
* Alas! I knew not what I did,
But now my tears are vain;
Where shall my trembling soul be hid?
For I the Lord have slain.
tt A second look he gave, which said,
'I freely all fin-give;
This blood is for thy ransom paid,
I'll die. that thou may'st Hve.'
*Thus, while his death my sin display*
In all its blackest hue ;
(Such is the mystery of grace)
It seals my pardon too.
With pleasing grief and mournful joy
My spirit now is filled ;
That I shoul 1 such a life destroy.
Yet live by him I kiliVi '
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 257
CHAPTER VI.
REDEMPTION BY CHRIST.
"In whom we have redemption through his j]ood, tn
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace ''
"Redemption! what a glorious plan;
How suited to our need!
The grace that raises fallen man,
Is wonderful indeed !
"Twas wisdom form'd the vast design ;
To ransom us when lost:
And love's unfathomable mine
Provided all the cost
"Strict Justice, with approving look,
The holy cov'nant sealed ;
And Truth and power undertook
The whole should be fulfill'd.
"Truth, Wisdom, Justice, Pow'r and Love,
In all their glory shone ;
When Jesus left the courts above,
And died to save his own."
In the works of creation, the power, wisdom
and goodness of God are admirably displayed;
but in the far greater and more glorious work
of human redemption, his love shines in full
17
258 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
resplendency. How glorious was the design of
God to redeem a lost world I How magnificent
the plan of eternal redemption 1 This redemp-
tion originated in the infinite love of God the
Father. " God so loved the world that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life."* Jesus Christ is the gift of the Father
a precious gift, indeed, to a lost world. He is
given to redeem his people ; given that whoso-
ever believeth on him should not perish, but have
eternal life. Jesus Christ is therefore called the
unspeakable gifl of God. " Thanks be unto
God for his unspeakable gift."f In the counsels
of eternity, Christ was chosen to be ilie Ee-
deemer of his people. God gave him as a free
gift to the Church. 4. greater gift he could not
bestow upon lost sinners. Had the Almighty
given us ten thousand worlds to possess, they
would have been as nothing in comparison with
Jesus Christ, his unspeakable gift. Oh I how
good our God is. How great is his power, wis-
dom and goodness, as manifested in the creation
of the universe ; but oh ! how amazing is his
love, as exhibited in the redemption of a capti-
vated world, in sending hip Dnly begotten Sen
to iie for sinners 1
* John iii. 16.
f 2 Cor. ix. 16
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 259
" Thou everlasting lover
Of our unworthy raceJ
Thy gracious eye sun ey d us
Ere stars were seen abo\e;
In wisdom thou hast made us,
And died for us in love."
The gift of a Saviour, and redemption through
his blood, afford the grandest prospect of the
eternal love of God. Around this sacred theme,
beam glorious rays of divine love. "God is
love ;" and redemption is but the effect of that
love, in which the Deity is enshrined. Love
enters into the very essence of the Divinity;
and we see that it has blazed forth from the
eternal throne, and shone on our benighted
world. Yes, the glorious light has shone from
heaven. It shines all around us. God loves
this world. Blessed truth ! Every page of di-
vine revelation gleams with his love. Kedemp-
tion is full of it. Here contemplate it. "In
this was manifested the love of God toward us,
because that God sent his only begotten Son
into the world, that we might live through him,
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that
he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitia-
tion for ?ur sins."*
Jesus Christ willingly undertook our re-
* ! John iv. 9 10.
260 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
demption. He cheerfully offered himself to
bear our sins, to bleed on the altar of divine
wrath, to redeem us from eternal misery.
blessed Saviour ! thy love never had a begin-
ning ; it is like thyself, eternal. Love always
glowed in thy blessed bosom for a sinful world.
All the glories of Paradise could not keep thee
from leaving thy throne to ransom a guilty race.
When there were no merciful arms to embrace
us; no joyful heaven to welcome us; yea, when
we were lost sinners, thou, blessed Jesus, didst
pity us, and hasten on the wings of thy love U
redeem us, to bring us to glory, to seat us
around thy throne, :n the celestial palace. How
wonderful is thy love, thou Friend of Sinners!
When that momentous question was asked by
the Almighty in the counsels of eternity,
" Whom shall I send, and who will go lor
us?" Our blessed Saviour came forward and
said, "Here am I; send me."
Christ was delighted with the glorious work
of redeeming a lost world. When the morning
stars sang together, and all the immortal sons
of God shouted for joy over a rising world, the
Saviour rejoiced over its redemption. Then his
" delights were with the sons of men." Redemp-
tion was his chosen work, and in its execution he
took the greatest delight. Ages rolled away,
and earth groaned beneath thp burden of its
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 261
sin; idolatry and superstition reigned in tri-
umph over a vast empire; moral darkness,
obscuring the light of eternal day, enshrouded
the human race, till the star of Bethlehem
pointed to the infant Jesus as the glorious Ke-
ieemer of his people. A new light then burst
from heaven upon them. Christ, "the bright
and morning star," that issues in the light of a
blissful eternity, appeared in a human form, and
trod the vale of humanity. He willingly, yea,
joyfully, left his throne of glory to bring re-
demption to us. His language was, "Lo, I
come ; in the volume of the book it is written
of me; I delight to do thy will, my God;
yea, thy law is within my heart."* Our lost,
pitiful condition called for a Redeemer. When
Christ came to redeem us, we were on the verge
of everlasting destruction.
Man, created in the image of his Maker, was
once holy and happy. But sin soon entered our
fair world, and spread ruin and devastation all
around. Pain was felt; disease and suffering
endured, and death embraced in his chilly arms
a fallen world. Sin brought death into this
world and all our misery. " By one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin ;*and so
death passed upon all men, for that all have
Psa^xl. 7, 8.
262 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
sinned."* How deplorable was the condition
of the human ravv ! An awful eternity of suf-
fering opened to their view. Then God in in-
finite love said, " Deliver from going down to
the pit; I have found a ransom." "I have
found David my servant ; with my hoiy oil have
I anointed him."
Jesus Christ was set apart for the great work
of redemption ; and at the appointed time, God
sent him to redeem us from the curse of a broken
law, and to guide us safely through the mazes
of a bewildering scene to the Paradise above.
"When the fulness of the time was come, God
sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made un-
der tne law, to redeem them that were under
the law, that we might receive the adoption of
sons."f To redeem lost sinners was the very
object for which the Son of God was sent into
the" world ; for which he was made of a woman
for which he was made under the law. match-
less grace ! sovereign love ! that God sent
his Son, his only Son, to save sinners,
Here we behold a way ot access opened to
perishing sinners through tbe redemption that
is in Christ Jesus. Blessed Lord! may the
knowledge of this unspeakably precious redemp-
tion through a crucified Kedeemer, fill my sou]
* Rom. y. 12.
Gal v. 4, />
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 263
with gratitude and praise. "My mouth shall
speak the praise of the Lord ; and let all flesh
bless his holy name forever and ever," Let us
see how the redemption of sinners was effected,
We find that an immense sum was paid for their
ransom ; that it required the blood of God to
redeem a world of perishing sinners. "Feed
the Church of God, which he hath purchased
with his own blood."*
It is expressly declared that "without shed-
ding of blood is no remission."-)- The blood of
the Deity must flow or else a world be irrecover-
ably lost. But the Son of God assumed humar
nature, and freely poured out his blood for oui
redemption. Oh ! the boundless love of Christ,
that he should shed his precious blood for sin-
ners. Oh! the infinite efficacy of that blood
to cleanse from all sin. " The blood of Jesus
Christ cleansed us from all sin.":): We see then
that our redemption is by price. "Ye are
bought with a price ; therefore glorify God in
your body and in your spirit, which are God's."
What a price was paid for our redemption 1 the
precious blood of Jesus, -the Lamb of God ! "Ye
know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible
things, as silver and gold but with the precious
* Acts xx 2& f Heb. ix. 22.
J 1 John .7 1 Ccr. vi 20.
264
blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot."* \
Costly price of man's redemption; the in
finitely precious blood of Christ ! my soul,
look with wonder and amazement at thy ransom !
the precious life and the precious blood of Jesus,
" Who gave himself for us, that he might re-
deem us from all iniquity, and purify unto him-
self a peculiar people, zealous of good works."f
" The Son of Man came, to give his life a ransom
for many.":): It is a blessed consolation for the
sinner to know that he has redemption through
the blood of Christ, that he has access to a holy
God through a crucified Jesus. How sweet are
those words, "In whom we have redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, accord-
ing to the riches of his grace."
The blood of Christ is the fountain-head of all
felicity. It is the blessed source whence eman-
ates the living water of life ; whence flow pardon
and peace to a guilty world. It is that "river,
the streams whereof make glad the city of God"
Thirsty soul, come and quench your thirst at
the fountain of life. Dear believer, come and
draw water with joy out of the wells of salvation.
Long before a bleeding Saviour hung on the
* 1 Peter i. 78, 19. f Titus it 14.
t Matt. xx. 28.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 265
cross, it was prophesied, "In that day there
shall be a fountain opened to the house of David,
and to the inhabitants ol Jerusalem for sin and
for uncleanness." Th 3 fountain has been opened.
The rock has been smitten. Christ's side has
been pierced. The sacred streams have gushed
from the cross have flowed around Calvary.
When our Saviour instituted the sacramental
supper he said, " This is my blood of the New
Testament, which is shed for many for the remis-
sion of sins ; drink ye all of it." This, this is
the fountain of joy the well of ( endless life.
Here, sinners may drink and never thirst again.
And all are invited to come to the waters. The
gospel invitation extends to all classes of man*
kind without exception ; to the vile as well as
to the good ; to the poor as well as to the rich ;
to the young as well as to the old. The blessed
call stands emblazoned on the page of inspira
tion. With the authority of the Majesty of
heaven, I repeat it to a thirsting and famishing
world, " Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye
to the waters, a r id he that hath no money ; come
ye, buy, and eat ; yea, come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price. Wherefore
do ye spend money for that which is not bread ?
and your labor for that which satisfieth not?
hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that
which is good, and let yur soul delight itself
266 CHRIST, AtfD HIM CRUCIFIED.
in fatness. Incline your ear and come unto me;
hear, and your soul shall live ; and I will make
an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure
mercies of David."* " Whosoevei will, let him
take the water of life freely."t Blessed be God
for that " whosoever." None are forbidden to
taste "the water of life." The vilest sinner
may come to the " waters " and drink, and live
forever. None are excluded from the way of
salvation through the atoning blood of the
Lamb of God. What encouragement is -there
for all to come to the bleeding side of Immanuel,
there to receive the pardon of sin, obtain eter-
nal life, and imbibe immortal joys! Here is
redemption offered to you. Will you receive it ?
Here is the bread and water of life. Will
you eat that which is good and let your soul de-
light itself in fatness? Will you drink at the
fountain of immortality ? " Whoso eateth my
flesh," says Christ, "and drinketh my blood,
hath eternal life ; and I will raise him up at the
] ast day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my
blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh,
a.id drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and 1
in himl" Oh! who would not come and be
made a partake r of such inestimable blessings aa
cluster around the cross of a loving Kedeemer.
* Is. h 1, 8
f Rf-v. xxii. 1 7.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 267
Here is all that a dying sinner requires .or his
redemption. Here is all that a feeble saint
needs for his comfort and support during his
pilgrimage through a bleak and barren world
which is far from his home. What joys are to
be found in redemption by Christ I They are
unspeakable and full of glory. They flow down
the narrow stream of time and dilate in the
boundless ocean of eternity.
Redemption by Christ affords sweet peace to
the soul. The blood of Jesus poured out from
the cross makes peace between God and the
sinner. "Having made peace through the
blood of his cross."* It brings us nigh to God.
"Now in Christ Jesus, ye, who sometime were
far off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ."f
Precious blood, that brings us so near our heav-
enly Father ! This is " the blood of sprinkling,
that speaketh better things that that of Abel.":}:
This is the blood of " Jesus the Mediator of the
new covenant." This blood satisfies offended
justice, redeems the sinner and prepares him
for glory. The blood of Jesus atones for all
sin. There is redemption for all sinners, then,
if they will but apply to the atoning blood of
Jesus for cleansing. There is justification to
Col. i. 20. t E P h - ft
Heb. xii. 24.
268 CHRIST, AND HIM CKUCIFIED.
acquit all; there is righteousness to clothe all,
"Surely," shall one say, u in the Lord have I
righteousness and strength. In the Lord shall
all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall
glory."* The sinner rejoices to find in the
Lord Jesus, complete redemption. " Being now
justified by his blood, we shall be saved from
wrath through him."
* Blessed Saviour, speak a word,
Bid all my sorrows cease ;
Be thou my great atoning Lord,
My Righteousness and Peace.
"Oh, let thy precious blood divine,
Wash all uiy sins away 1
Then shall my soul resplendent shine,
Through heaven's eternal da} 7 ."
How merciful is our God ! How free is his
grace ! How plentiful is that redemption which
is in Christ Jesus ! "Let Israel hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him
is plenteous redemption." "Being justified
freely by his grace, through the redemption that
is in Christ Jesus ; whom God hath set forth to
be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to
declare his righteousness for the remission of
* Is. xlv 21, 25.
CHRIST, AND HIM CKUCIFIED. 269
sins that are past, through the forbearance of
God." sinner, come and taste the joys of re-
demption. Exercise a livtly faith in the aton-
ing blood of the Son of God. We would lead
you to the bleeding sacrifice; we would point
you to the cross of Christ as your only redemp-
tion. We would tell you in the tenderest lan-
guage that there is redemption for you. Christ
is made unto us "redemption." Cleaving to
him you shall be redeemed from all evil, and
finally admitted into the Paradise of God. Our
blessed Saviour has obtained eternal redemp-
tion for us, and he will soon lead us to glory.
This is the grand object of Christ's sufferings
and death, or in other words, of his redemption,
to bring " many sons unto glory." Redemption
by Christ, then, is an eternal deliverance from
sin and sufferings, and the permanent enjoyment
of the highest bliss in heaven. All the happi-
ness of the redeemed in glory results from re-
demption by Christ. All the future felicity of
the whole household of faith, through eternity,
will flow from that redemption completed on
Calvary. " He sent redemption unto his people ;
he hath commanded his covenant forever; holy
and reverend is his name." By shedding Ida
own blood the Redeemer has purchased ever-
lasting salvation for his people. "'Christ being
oome a high, priest of good things to come, by a
270 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED
greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made
with hands ; neither by the blood of goats and
calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once
into the holy place, having obtained eternal re-
demption for us."* Here we may see the eter-
nal, matchless love of Christ, in shedding his
precious blood for our redemption. Love was
the impelling motive that led him to undertake
our redemption ; ard love enabled him to ex
claim, "It is finished." Love made him offer
himself a sacrifice for our sins. "Christ also
hath loved us, and hath given himself for us,
an offering and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet-
smelling savourf "
Christ calls the church "his love 1 ' "How
fair and how pleasant art thou, love, for de-
lights !"J He loved the church so ardently as to
redeem it with his own blood. " Christ also
loved the church, and gave himself for it ; that
he might sanctify and cleanse it with the wash-
ing of water by the word ; that he might present
it to himself a glorious church, npt having spot
or wrinkle, or any such thing ; but that it should
be holy and without blemish. "
Christ's love to the church is eternal. He says,
loved thee with an everlasting love
i C*a
ix. 11, 12.
f Eph. v. 2.
Eph. v. 25,
CHRIST, AND HIM CKUCIFIED. 271
therefore with loving kindness have I drawn
fchee."* And again, " Since thou wast precious
in my sight thou hast been honorable, and I
have loved thee." Paul thus celebrates the re-
deeming love of Christ to his church, " Ye know
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though
he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor
that ye through his poverty might be rich."f
* Jer. JPML 8
f 2 Cor viil f
CHRIST, AND HIM CKUCIF1ED
CHAPTER VI ? .
THE NEW SONG IN GLORY.
"And they sung a new song." REV. v. 9.
THE redeeming love of Christ will be cele-
brated through eternity. In heaven, redemption
by Christ will be the grand theme, the sweet
Bong of the family of God. It is that "New
Song" which all the redeemed sing in glory. It
will have no dying cadence through the revolv-
ing ages of a blessed eternity. It will be always
new; yes, when ages countless as the drops of
the ocean, shall have rolled away, the song of
redemption will be as new to the redeemed as
when the celestial mansions first echoed with its
pealing strains.
In the house of his pilgrimage, redemption
was the believer's song, and in that house, not
made with hands, eternal in the heavens, it will
be his sweet song through countless ages.
blessed thought! whc will not now commence
the " New Song" of Redemption ! Will you not
chant songs to Him who died to ransom you
from eternal woe 1 The songs of the grateful
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 278
followers of the Lamb never end. The saints
will find eternal employment in praising Christ
for that precious redemption lie has effected by
his death. The notes of praise to a crucified
Redeemer sound through the narrow limits of
time and the rolling ages of eternity. In heaven,
Christ will be eternally admired as the Lamb
that was slain for the redemption of sinners.
There he stands in the " midst of the throne" as
the Lamb of God that was once wounded, and
bruised, and slain.
" And 1 beheld," says John, " and lo, in the
midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and
in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it
had been slain."* Every eye shall see him there.
Every tongue 1 shall praise him there. All the
redeemed shall shout, " Worthy is the Lamb that
was slain." This will be the burden of the
"New Song." This will sound the loudest
through heaven. " Worthy is the Lamb that
was slain. "f There will be none brought to
heaven but those who will sing eternal praises
to the Lamb for the wonders of redemption.
* Rev. v. 6.
\ NOTE There will be much in Jesus to admii'e when we
shall see him as he is. But that which will draw out the
loudest notes of the new song will be the sight of the prints
of the nails, and of the wound in his side. " Thou wast slain,
and hast redeemed r. to God by thy blood/* MOCHKYNR.
18
274 CHRIST, AND HIM- CRUCIFIED.
There will be no mute tongue in glory. All
voices and all hearts shall unite in singing tke
New Song. When the portals of heaven were
opened to the beloved John, and the glory of
the New Jerusalem came beaming through those
pearly gates, he heard the music of Zion ; and
what was it but the New Song of redemption ?
"And they sung a new song, saying, Thou
art worthy to take the bock, and to open the
seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast re-
deemed us to God by thy blood out of every
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation ;
and hast made us unto our God kings and
priests ; and we shall reign on the earth."*
We find that a mighty multitude will be con
gregated in glory to sing the song o'f redemption ;
some from " every kindred, and tongue, and
people." " After this I beheld, and lo, a great
multitude, which no man could number, of all
nations, and kindreds, and people, and to agues,
stood before the throne, and before the Lamb,
clothed with white robes, and palms in their
hands ; and cried with a loud voice, saying, sal-
vation to our God which sitteth upon the throne,
and unto the Lamb."f What a glorious com-
pany will that be who shall eternally stand on
the celestial Mount Zion IIow sweet will be
* Tier, v 9 10 f Rev. vii. 9, 10.
CHBIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 275
their song ! How rapturous their delight ! How
ecstatic their joy ! But reader, pause, and ask,
" Am I to mingle among that blessed host who
never cease to praise God and the Lamb?" u la
the new song of redemption to be my sweet
song above ?"
Live for eternity live for Christ now, and
you will soon join all the redeemed family of
God, in songs that will never end. With your
robes washed white in the t^bod of the Lamb,
you shall be presented faultless before the throne
of God, to praise Him who loved you and
washed you from your sins in his own blood.
Then will you see your glorious Eedeemer, who
will always be to you the centre of heavenly at-
traction. How will your grateful heart burn
with seraphic love to Him whose blood brought
you such" heavenly bliss, and whose merits
crowned you with such inconceivable glory 1
Your hearts will overflow with more joy than.,
language can express. You will then, in the
light of heaven, see that redemption by Christ
is a precious work that rich, inestimable bless-
ings flow from the atoning blood. Be sure not
to trample that blood underfoot now. You will
never be crowned with glory without your
robes are washed white in the blood of the
Lamb. You must become interested in the
death of Christ, before you can learn that "
276 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
song," which none but the redeemed sing,
" And they sung as it were a new song before
the throne, and before the four beasts, and the
elders : and no man could learn that song but
the hundred and forty and four thousand, which
were redeemed from the earth."* k ' And they
sing the song of Moses, and the song of the
Lamb."t
On the sublime vision of heavenly worship
as vouchsafed to tfjohn when banished to the
lonely Patmos, a writer^: whom we admire has
the following lofty expressions : *' The singers
were those hundred and forty -four thousand,
and they sung a new song, and as they struck
their harps, together thus they sung : * Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power and
riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor,
arid glory, and blessing.' And with one voice
the innumerable host chanted the heavenly dox-
plogy, 'Blessing, and honor, and glory, and
power, be unto him that sitteth on the throne,
and to the Lamb forever; and back returned
the long * Amen.' Again and again was it taken
* Rev. xiv. 3. f Rov xv. 3
\ Rev. J. T. Headley, a beautiful writer, author of the
"Sacred Mountains," a sj lendid production, without which
no library can be consiJWed complete. Mr. Headley is the
author of many other valuable works well known to the
public.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 277
up and echoed from rank to rank along that
celestial mountain, till it came rolling back with
all the strength of archangel voices full on
the throne of God. The theme, the song was
new it was the song of Kedemption. David
stood there sweeping a harp far more melodious
and tuneful than the one he swept with such a
master hand on earth. Elijah poured his soul
of fire into it. Isaiah gave it a loftier echo.
The martyrs, those witnesses for the truth who
had passed through the flames to their reward,
furnished new accessions to its strength ; for all
the ransomed of the lord were there. Aaron
went up thither from the top of Hor, and Moses
from Pisgah. Elijah's chariot of fire never
stopped till its burning wheels rested on that
heavenly mount, and thither Christ ascended
from the hill of Olives. Thus the redeemed
have flocked one after another to the Mount of
God, and there they shall continue together until
the glorious assembly stands complete, and ' God
is all and in all.' " How will the arches of hea-
"en resound with that " new song" when all the
ledeemed are gathered home by the blood of
Christ!
" And what in yonder realms above,
Is ransom'd man ordain'd to be ?
With honor, holiness and ove,
No seraph mor** aiorn'd than ha
278 CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
"Nearest the throne, and first in song,
Man shall his hallelujahs raise ;
While wond'ring angels round him throng,
And swell the chorus of his praise."
Hew many redeemed sinners are now before
the throne, singing everlasting songs to Him
who died for them on Calvary ! The redeemed
are fast flocking to their everlasting home in
glory. All the ransomed of the Lord shall soon
" return, and come to Zion with songs and ever-
lasting joy upon their heads : they shall obtain
joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall
flee away."
Prophets and apostles and martyrs, the great
and good of every age and nation, are already
in Zion above, and redemption is their song
Those immortal divines, Baxter, Bunyan, Flavel,
Owen, Henry, Doddridge, Watts, Edwards, Pay-
son, Martyn, Chalmers, the lovely McChe^yne,
the venerable Alexander,* have ascended to
swell the throne, in singing "Worthy is the
Lamb." This song breathes on every lip in
glory, and bursts from every heart there. One
* This distinguished servant of the Lord Jesus, who lately
went to glory, was one of the most faithful anr 1 devoted
ministers of the gospel the world has ever witnessed. Hig
memory will be embalmed iii the hearts of thousands, while
the world lasts ; and his works will be preserved as a prtr
oioua legacy to the Church
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 279
song emp loys all the tongues of the redeemed in
the mansions of bliss.
" Ten thousand, thousand are their tongues,
But all their songs are one."
Dear follower of the Lamb, we shall all shortly
join with the family of God in this " new song,"
in mansions of Glory. Then, lift up your head
with joy ; " for your redemption draweth nigh."
The hour of glory will soon be at hand.
" Oh, glorious hour, it comes with speed 1
When we, from sin and darkness freed,
Shall see the .God who died for man,
And praise him more than angels can."
Life is fast hastening away. Time is swiftly
flying. Eternity is at the door. You are just
on the threshold of glory just within sight of
Paradise. The gates of the celestial city are
about to open for your reception, and your Sav-
iour is ready to pronounce that blessed invita-
tion, " Well done, good and faithful servant,
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Come, ye
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom pre-
pared for you from the foundation of the world."
Does not a sight of all this glory make you
long to obtain it ? Then press onward ; press
toward the mark for the prize of the high call-
ing of God in Chr^'", Jesus One step more, and
280 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
glory will beam upon your eye, and the joys of
heaven captivate your heart, and .the music of
Paradise charm your ear. The hour wJl SOOD
come when the shining mansions shall receive
you, when an exceeding and 3ternal weight rf
glory shall crown you; when you shall begin
that " new song" which you learned on earth ;
when redemption by Christ shall be your unend-
ing theme. Oh 1 this is heaven, where nil rest
in the bosom of God ; where all behold the Re-
deemer's face ; where all are singing that won-
drous " new song" which fills heaven with joy,
and eternity with undying melody, as it ascends
In pealing notes from the mansions of glory,
" Unto him that loved us, and washed us from
our sins in his blood, and hath made us kings
and priests unto God and his Father; to him be
glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen, '
You will soon begin your everlasting song in
the upper sanctuary. "Worthy is the Lamb
that was slain to receive power, and riches, and
wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory,
and blessing. Blessing, and honor and glory,
and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the
throne and unto the Lamb forever and ever."
"Oh, holy, holy Lord!
Whom angel hosts adore ;
When shall I join in raptured strains,
The bright celestial choir I
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 281
" In pity view a sinful worm,
A pris'ner here below ; *
A pilgrim journeying through the land
darkness, sin and woe.
Ten thousand voices rcund thy throne
Unite in hymns div*ae ;
* Salvation to the Lamb !' they cry,
As high in bliss they shine.
3 Fain would I now begin the song,
To thee my God and friend ;
Then mingle with the choir* abovr
fn prv<-;* which nur shall fctvvT
282 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
CHAPTER VIII.
CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED, THE SUM AND SUBSTAN3B
OF THE GOSPEL.
"Now cf the things which we have spoken, this is tha
sura." HEB. viii 1.
THE gospel is glad tidings of" great joy to a
lost world. It brings immortality within the
reach of dying sinners. It opens untold glories
to them. It brings life and immortality to light.
Dispelling the moral darkness of a fallen world,
it points to an eternal day of light and glory
Delivering from eternal misery the condemned
sinner, it reveals to him the way of salvation ;
leads him in the path of righteousness, and
finally brings him to the enjoyment of endless
felicity in the heavenly world. Blessed gospel
well mayest thou be styled " good tidings of
great joy." What blessings flow in the gospel
channel to exhilarate a thirsty world.
It is the gospel that makes 'the wilderness and
the solitary place to be glad, and the desert to
rejoice, and blossom as the rose; that makes
the parched grour.d to become a pool, and
CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 283
the- thirsty land springs of water.* How re-
freshing to the weary child of God, to lie down
in green pastures; to be led beside the still
waters of gospel grace I How cheering to say,
in a world of sin and sorrow and disappoint
ment, with the sweet Psalmist, "Surely good-
ness and mercy shall follow me all the days of
my life ; and I will dwell in the house of the
Lord forever." Who can describe the blessed-
ness, the glory that are contained in this single
verse I Who can enumerate the blessings that
flow from the gospel of God !
In this blessed gospel, " mercy and truth are
met together; righteousness and peace have
kissed each other." The blood of Jesus, through
the gospel, proclaims peace on earth, and glory
in heaven such peace as passeth all under-
standing, and such glory as the human heart
has never conceived. We now turn to notice
the source whence all gospel blessings flow. It
is in Christ and nim crucified that they originate.
This is the blessed origin of all goodness, the
inexhaustible fountain of love to guilty, rebel-
lious man. In the gospel, a bleeding Saviour is
usld up in a manner so conspicuous as to attract
the attention, and excite the admiration of all
anxious inquirers after salvation. They look to
* Isa. XXJCT
284: CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
him and are lightened of the burden of sin and
guilt. His grace is so free and his love so un-
bounded, that all may look and be saved. And
all that look to Jesus and renounce their own
righteousness shall be saved. A bleeding Jesus
is the sum of Christianity, and the only hope of
a lost world. In him all fulness dwells, around
him all blessings flow, from him all glories
emanate.
" Dear Jesus, fill my soul
With holiness and peace;
Arise with healing in thy winga,
Thou Sun of Righteousness.
" May all beneath the sky
Usurp my heart no more;
Be thon my first, my chief delight,
My soul's unbounded store.
* In thee all treasures lie,
From thee all blessings flow;
Thou art the bliss of saints above.
The joy of saints below.
" Oh, come, and make me thine.
A sinner saved by grace ;
Then shall I sing with loudest strains
In heaven, thy dwelling-place.
* When standing round the throne,
Amid the ransomed throng,
Thy praise shall be my sweet emp oy
While k ^e insj 'res my song."
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 285
Christ, and him crucified, is the sum and sub-
stance of the gospel. What is the gospel but a
glorious revelation of Christ crucified, a gracious
plan of salvation through the merits of Im-
manuel's blood ! It is only through a crucified
Redeemer that we can be admitted into heaven.
Our salvation is intimately connected with him.
Take away Christ, and you bury our immortal
hopes in the dust; you demolish the glorious
superstructure of gospel truth.
If there had been no Saviour proclaimed, there
would have been no salvation for perishing
men, no gospel of the grace of God. But
Christ is revealed in the gospel as the great
object of our faith. There he stands as the
great centre of all holy attractions, as the sum
of all our happiness. In the gospel revelation,
Christ is all. The Bible is full of him. From
Genesis to Eevelation, he is set forth in all the
loveliness of his character, and in all the rich-
ness of his grace to dying men. Enraptured
prophets dwell on him, inspired poets sing of
him, and ardent, zealous apostles blaze his name
abroad.
The grand design of a divine revelation is to
exhibit Christ and him crucified as the only
hope of a lost world. Christ is the glory of the
Scriptures, as the sun is the glory of the firma-
ment, "To tak* Christ from the Bible," says a
286 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
writer cf other days, " would be like blotting
the sun from the firmament." It will avail no-
thing what discoveries we make, if we find not,
to our present and eternal welfare, Him of whom
Moses and the prophets wrote. The key of
knowledge will be of little use, unless it opens
to us the unsearchable riches of Christ. li These
things are written that ye, might believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the son of God ; and that be-
lieving, ye might have life through his name."
The sum and substance of all evangelical preach-
ing is, Christ and him crucified. " We preach
Christ crucified," says one of the greatest minis-
ters of Jesus Christ. Christ crucified was the
substance of Paul's preaching. With ardent,
burning eloquence he dwelt on this glorious
theme. This was the grand topic of all his writ-
ing and preaching. He set nothing else before
the people but Christ crucified. He desired tc
know nothing more, for he knew that nothing
more was essential to salvation than the saving
knowledge of Christ, and him crucified. He
caught this glorious truth, and published it to a
dying world. He summoned all his energies to
understand this deep mystery. This was his
study. " I determined," says he " not to know
any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him
crucified." Christ and him crucified, is the very
life of the gospel. H?~e all the lines of evan-
CHRIST, AND HIM C B tJ C I F I E D. 287
gelical truth meet in one central point. Blessed
be God, for a crucified Saviour ! my soul,
put thy trust in him. Study Christ, and him
crucified. He is the life of the soul ; the salva-
tion of the sinner. Search the Scriptures ; for
they testify of him; yes, " the testimony of Jesus
is the spirit of prophecy."* Prophets speak of
him as the bleeding sacrifice for sin. The Old
Testament points to him as the Lamb of God
that taketh away the sin of the world. The New
Testament is replete with the history of a cruci-
fied Saviour. " Of gospel history, what is the
sum ? Christ crucified. What do the four evan-
gelists relate ? They all, for substance, tell the
same story ; and that story is rightly termed the
gospel. It is the history of the cross. In the
mouth of two or three witnesses every word is
established. God has graciously given us four,
all inspired by his Holy Spirit, to relate the
birth, the life, the labors, the preaching, the mir-
acles, the sufferings, and the death of Jesus.
They tell us what he said, what he did, and
what he encored from the powers of darkness,
from the hands of men, and from the sword of
justice. They inform us how he was at last
condemned, and nailed to the tree, for the testi-
mony which he bore 4 x the truth, that he was
Rev, xix. la
288 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
the only begotten Son of God, and that the same
divine honors were due to him as to the Father."
What a long series of prophecies was accom-
plished in Christ, and him crucified !
The Spirit of God in all the prophets, testified
"beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the
glory that should follow." Christ is the sum of
prophecy. To the two disciples going to Emmaus,
he explained the prophecies relating to himself.
He says to them, " fools, and slow of heart to
believe all that the prophets have spoken!
Ought not Christ to have suffered these things,
and to enter into his glory ? And beginning at
Moses, and all the prophets, he expounded unto
them in all the scriptures the things concerning
himself." And again, " These are the words
which I spake unto you, while I was yet with
you, that all things must be fulfilled which were
written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets,
and in the Psalms, concerning me. Then opened
ne their understanding, that they might under-
stand the Scriptures. And said unto them,
thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ
to suiter, and to rise from the dead the third
day." The life, the sufferings, and the death of
Messiah were all foretold in glowing lar guage,
by the prophets of God. Moses wrote of Him.
Job knew that his Redeemer lived. Abraham
got a glimpse of Christ's day, and it gladdened
CHRIST, AND HIM (J K U C 1 J? 1 ! E 1). 1 89
his heart. Jacob spoke of the comii g of Shiloh,
the Prince of Peace. Isaiah, transported into
future times, cries : " Unto us a child is born ;
unto us a Son is given, and the government
shall be upon his shoulder ; and his name shall
be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty
God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of
Peace." Micah foretells the place, of his birth,
" But thou Bethlehem Ephratah though thou
be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out
of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be
Ruler in Israel ; whose goings forth have been
from of old, from everlasting." To Daniel the
time was revealed, when Messiah should be cut
off, to finish transgression, to make an end of
sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring
in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the
vision and prophecy. The Psalmist foretold
the sufferings and death of Jesus on the cross aa
if he had actually witnessed them. The 53d
chapter of Isaiah, and the 22d Psalm are full
of Christ and him crucified.
Thus, all the prophets highly extol Him, who
is the great' and glorious Deliverer of lost man.
Christ and him crucified is the sum of all those
good things that God promised to his ancient
people, the substance of all those types, and
shadows, and emblems which prefigured good
things t"> come. The whole ceremonial law was
* 19
a shadow of good things to come ; but " the body
is of Christ." The paschal lamb bled on Jewish
altars, as the emblem of a bleeding Saviour.
Hence Christ is styled, "the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world."* " The Lamb of
Grod, which taketh away the sin of the world, "f
His precious blood is represented to be like that
of " a lamb without blemish and without spot."J
All th.~ Jewish sacrifices, rites and ceremonies
wore full of Christ crucified. They pointed to
this one great sacrifice for sin. They referred
directly to Him, whose death was truly an atoning
sacrifice. " The death of atonement, then, which
the Son of God died for our redemption, was
that to which all sacrifices, . from the earliest
times, had respect, as their great termination, and
without which they would have been as desti-
tute of reason as they were, in their very nature,
of all actual value in the very sight of heaven,
If holy men of old made an acceptable use of
them, in drawing near to God, it was only by
looking through them to this all-perfect and suf-
ficient sacrifice which they prefigured. This
great sacrifice, accordingly, being offered tip in
due time, all that were before it, were complete-
ly done away, and all that ancient sort of wor-
ship went forever out of use."
* Bev. xiii. 8. f John i. 29. t ^et. i. 19. $ Bib. Antiq,
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 291
Christ crucified is now proclaimed in the ever
lasting gospel as the substance of all our holy
religion. Whoever has faith in him, has religion
in his soul. Whoever believes on a crucified
Christ, shall be admitted into the Paradise of
Grod, to eat of the fruits of " the tree of life," and
to drink of the crystal streams of living water,
which flovr from the throne of the Deity.
then, give your heart to Jesus, and he will fit
you for glory.
Of the ordinances of divine grace, what is the
sum ? Christ crucified. Their grand design is
to set Him forth as a propitiation, through faith
in his blood. Of the sacramental supper, what
is the substance ? Christ crucified. This sweet
ordinance is full of Christ and his whole glorious
work for the salvation of sinners. In the broken
bread and poured out wine, we see nothing but
the crucifixion of the blessed Son of God. Here,
he is presented to us as the glorious Saviour
dying for sinners. Here, we get a glimpse of
his matchless perfections of his transcendent
glory. Here, all his sufferings rise up to our
view the sufferings of his holy soul the ago-
nies of his cruel death. Here is nothing but
Christ and him crucified. How the love and
grace of the Lord Jesus kindle into a glorious
blaze, in this ordinance.
Would you see a lively exhibition of a cruci-
292 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
fied Saviour? Then go to the Lord's table ; sit
down there and meditate on his death, his dying
love, his glorious atonement ; so will you grow
in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glarv both
now and forever. Amen.
How highly should we esteem our divine Sa-
viour. With what entire confidence should
we rely on him for salvation I Blessed Jesus 1
Thou art the source of all happiness the spring
of all joy. Thou art all in all to thy people. O
satisfy me with thy goodness, that I also may
rejoice in thy precious salvation. " Remember
me, O Lord, with the favor that thou bearest
unto thy people ; visit me with thy salvation."
Refresh my soul, blessed Lord, with the mani-
festatioL jf thy grace, and prepare me for be-
holding thy glory in heaven for enjoying end-
less pleasures at thy right hand. May we all be
daily feeding by faith, on Christ and him cruci-
fied, while we sojourn as strangers and pilgrims
here, till we "enter in through the gates into
the city," sit down beneath the shadow of the
tree of life, feed upon the hidden manna, and
drink of the " pure river of water of life, clear
as crystal, that proceedeth out of the throne of
God and of the Lamb."
In a little while we shall see our Redeemer's
face, and his name shall be upon our foreheads.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
We shall soon see a crucified Christ the print
of the nails, and of the wound in his side. How
lovely and attractive will Christ appear in glory,
as our crucified Saviour ! When we look on
his "dear wounds and bleeding side," our souls
will be lost in wonder, love, and praise. Then
\VQ shall be filled with his goodness, and taste
through eternal ages the sweetness of redeeming
iove. Amen. Evil so come Lord Jesus. Come
quickly.
294: CHRIS I, AND HIM GEUCIFIKD.
CHAPTER IX.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED, THE ONLY HOPE OF TH1
SINNER.
" The Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope." 1 TLM. i. 1.
"For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid,
waich is Jesus Christ." 1 COR. iii. 11.
" THOU dear, anointed Jesus,
All my hopes are fixed on thee ;
In thy tender, sweet compassion,
Cast a smile of love on me.
11 Come in all thy full salvation,
Deign within ray heart to dwell;
Then, with all thy ransomed people,
Of imbounded love 111 tell.
** Fill my soul with heavenly graces,
Gently falling from above ;
Meekness, patience, pure affection.
Sweet humility and love.
" Come, thou blest anointed Saviour,
To thy earthly temple como;
Till the hour of death remove me
To my everlasting hcme."
Christ and him crucified, is the only Inpe 01
the sinner. Here is the only substantial, per-
manent foundation of all our hopes. "For
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 295
other foundation can no man lay than that is
laid, which is Jesus Christ."
A crucified Christ is the only hope of the
world. In vain do we hope for salvation from
any other source. " Truly in vain is salvation
hoped for from the hills, and from, the multitude
of mountains : truly in the Lord our God is
the salvation of Israel." The Lord aloiie is the
salvation and strength of his people. The
Christian boldly exclaims, " The Lord is my
light and my salvation ; whom shall I fear ? the
Lord is the strength of my life ; of whom shall
I be afraid?"
There is but one refuge provided for a lost
world. That refuge is Christ crucified. It is a
" strong refuge." " The name of the Lcrd is a
strong tower : the righteous runneth into it, and
is safe." None are safe out of Christ. He is
the only refuge from the storms of divine wrath
that will one day sweep away an ungodly world.
"Thou hast been a strength to the poor, a
Btrengtn to the needy in his distress, a refuge
from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when
the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against
the wall. ; * Christ will shield all that come to
him. No sinner ever perished that "fled for
refuge to lay h^la upon the hope set before us/
* Isa. xxv. 4.
296 CHRIST. AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
In the arms of Christ, we are safe for time, safe
for etsrnity. An almighty Saviour has said
concerning his chosen flock, "I give unto them
eternal life ; and they shall never perish, neither
shall any pluck them out of my hand." What
a. blessed ark of safety for perishing sinners!
Christ and him crucified ! Happy they who are
inclosed in this new testament ark ! They will
survive every storm, and amid the wreck of a
crumbling world, ride safely and triumphantly
into the harbor of immortal glory ! Happy
they whose lives are hid with Christ in God ;
when Christ who is their life shall appear, they
shall appear with him in glory. " Happy is
that people, that is in such a case ; yea, happy
is that people, whose God is the Lord/'
" Sinners, see the ark prepar'd I
Haste to enter while there's room ;
Tho'the Lord his arm has bared,
Mercy still retards your doom
"Seek him while there yet is hope,
Ere the day of grace be past,
.Lest in wrath he give you up,
And this call shall prove your last."
Flee to the ark of safety; hide in Christ
Listen to the gracious calls of your only Saviour.
Hear him cry, "Come, my people, enter thou
into thy chambers and shut thy doors about
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 297
thee : hide thyself as it were foi a little moment,
until the indignation be overpast." Come with-
out delay. Your Saviour will not reject you.
He will receive you into his arms, adopt you
into hig family, and make you an heir of God?
and a joint-heir with him in glory : 0, blessed
privilege, to reign with Christ in glory ! Accept,
then, of a crucified Saviour, and heaven will be
your everlasting home. You will soon land on
the peaceful shores of Immanuel's land ; soon be
admitted into the presence of Christ, to sing the
song of Moses and the Lamb. If Christ is your
only hope here, he will be your everlasting por-
tion hereafter. If you glorify him on earth, you
shall enjoy him in heaven. If you follow the
Lamb now, he will lead you unto living foun-
tains of waters, in that "land of pure delight,
where saints immortal reign." You will be
happy in his service through time, and blissful
in his presence through eternity.
If your only hope is the Lord Jesus, he, as the
captain of your salvation, will lead you into the
promised land. be sure to enlist in the cause
of your crucified Kedeemer. Choose him as
your only leader. Stand beneath the glorious
banner of his love. Follow him on to victory.
'Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on
eternal life," ai d you will come off at last more
than conqueror through the blood of the Lamb.
298 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
Go forward, then, in the strength cf you: Re-
deemer. Say with the Psalmist, " I will go in
the strength of the Lord God ; I will make men-
tion cf thy righteousness, even of thine only."*
View the glorious prize offered to believers in
Jesus ! An unfading wreath of glory ! A royal
diadem of beauty ! A kingdom that will never
end. The inheritance of all things ! "He that
overcometh shall inherit all things ; and I will
be his God, and he shall be my son."f " Him
that overcometh will I make a pillar in the
temple of my God, and he shall go no more out;
and I will write upon him the name of my God,
and the name of the city of my God, which is
New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of
heaven from rny God; and I will write upon
him my new name."J Here is all the happiness
of heaven summed up in a few words. But
who can declare their import? Who can ex-
press the blessedness of being in Christ; of
resting our hopes on him? Eye hath net seen
it, nor hath the ear heard it ; neither has it
entered into the heart of man. All this glory is
obtained by believing on a crucified Jesus. Is
Christ forrneil in you, u the hope of glory."
There is but one road to heaven ; that way is
through Ch'is* acd him crucified. All the re-
P* Ixxi, 16. f Rev **' ? t Rev I 2
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
deemed in glory have travelled this road. All
who will ever yet enter in through the gates,
into the new Jerusalem, will be admitted only
through the merits of a crucified Saviour. They
must depend on him. There is no other founda-
tion on which to rest. Christ is the way the
only way to the Father, and to a glorious im-
mortality. " I am the way," says Christ, " and
the truth, and the life ; no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me." " I am the door ; by me
of any man enter in, he shall be saved, and
shall go in and out, and find pasture." There
is no salvation without Christ. There is no
other name but his that can save from eternal
woe. " Neither is there salvation in any other ;
for there is none other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved."* In
the gospel fabric, Christ is the chief corner-stone,
In him is fulfilled that which is written, "Be-
hold, I lay in Sion, a chief corner-stone, elect,
precious ; and he that believeth on him shall
not be confounded."-)- Jesus Christ is that
precious corner-stone on which the Church is
built. "The stone which the builders refused,
is become the head stone of the corner." Fix
'' your hopes on Christ and him crucified. Com-
mit your immortal concerns into the hands of a
* Acts iv. 12. f 1 Peter ii. 6.
300 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
bleeding Saviour, and heaven is yours. Con e,
and intrust your whole salvation to Him, who is
the only hope set before you in the glorious
gospel.* Fly for refuge to Him, Christ will
receive you joyfully. - Hear his own gracious
language. "All that the Father giveth me,
shall come to me ; and him that cometh to me
I will in nowise cast out." Blessed words?
What can be more encouraging.
Despairing sinner, here is hope for you. A
crucified Saviour is lifted upon the pole of the
everlasting gospel, that you may view him and
live. Are you drawn to him yet ? The dying
Saviour cries, " And I, if I be lifted up from
the e.arth will draw all men unto me."f Jesus
Christ is elevated on the cross that a diseased,
dying world may get a glimpse of him and live.
He is the world's Eedeemer. He is the sinner's
friend, his last and only hope. Eeject not this
only refuge. Here is hope for the vilest of sin-
ners. Christ came to save such. "I am not
come to call the righteous, but sinners to re-
{*jntance.";{:
* When I consider," said the Rev. R. Simpson, on his death
bed, " when I consider the infinite dignity and all-sufficiency
of Christ, I am ashamed to talk of venturing on him. Oh,
had 1 ten thousand souls, I would, at this moment cast them
all into his hands, with the utmost confidence."
f Jflhn xii. 32. J Mat. ix. 13.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 301
" Tell me," says an eloquent living writer,*
"where the vilest sinner is to be found that
dwells on God's footstool; conduct me to his
abode of wickedness and gloom ; and if it be
anywhere this side the grave, I would assure
him in God's name, that he who was lifted up
from the earth came to save just such sinners as
he." Whosoever believeth on a crucified Re-
deemer shall be saved. This is the cheering
language of inspiration. "As Moses lifted up
the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the
Son of Man be lifted up; that whosoever be-
lieveth in him should not perish, but have eter-
nal life."f Then let all look to the cross of
Christ. Let all contemplate the Son of God
bleeding for their sins. Let all look to Jesus,
and live.
" As the serpent raised by Moses
Heal'd the burning serpent's bite,
Jesus thus himself discloses,
To the wounded sinner's sight ;
Hear his gracious invitation,
' I have life and peace to give,
Gardiner Spring, D. D. This distinguished dmue it
one of the ablest writers of the age. We wculd here
recommend his works. They are among the best religious
publications of the day, and deserve a *>lace in every Chris
tian library throughout the laud.
f John iii. U, 15.
SOS CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED
I have wrought out hill salvation,
Sinner, look to me and live.
Pore I'pon your sins no longer,
"Well I. know their mighty gcdlt;
But my love than death is stronger
I my blood have freely spilt;
Though you^ hart has long been harden'^,
Look on me it soft shall grow ;
^ast transgressions shall be pardon'd,
And I'll wash you w3>te as snow.
I have seen what yon w?
Though you little tho'igM "H" nj
You were madly bent on rmr*
But I said, it shall not be ;
You had been forever wretched,
Had I not espous'd your part;
Now behold my arms outstretched,
To receive you to my heart.
Well may shame, and joy and
All your inward passions move ;
I could crush thee with my thunder
Bnt 1 speak to thee in love ;
See I your sins are all forgiv'n,
I have p<xid the countless sum I
Now my death has open'd heav'n,
Thither you shall shortly come.'
J Dearest Saviour, ws adt>re theo,
For thy precious life *nd death
Melt each stubborn heart before vhoo,
Give ua all the eye of faith ;
From the law's condemning sentence
To thy me-cy we appeal*
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 303
Thou alone canst give repentance,
Thou alone cur souls can heal."
" .And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hcr:e
is in thee." "The Lord is my portion, saith
my soul ; therefore will I hope in him." Is this
the language of your soul? Do you hope in
Jesus? Is he your unfailing portion? Then
rejoice in the Lord. Make his glorious name
known to a dying world. "Praise the Lord,
call upon his name, declare his doings among
the people, make mention that his name is ex-
alted. Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done
excellent things ; this is known to all the earth.
Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion, for
great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of
tbee."
Blessed Jesus ! enable us to rely on thee as
our only hope. Open our eyes that we may
discern thy beauty and excellence. Be thou
our hiding place to which we may resort for
safety. May sinners flee to thee before the
storm arises to overwhelm a guilty world.
"Lord, open sinners' eyes,
Their awful state to see ,
And make them ere the storm arise,
To thee far safety flee." .
Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners
304: CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
of hope." Jesus is willing to encircle you in
the arms of his protection and love. Then turn
to him.. Christ and him crucified is the sinner's
''stronghold." Here all are safe. All who
now rest in Jesus shall enjoy eternal rest here-
after.
Blessed Lord! lead me to the Eock that is
higher than I. May all my hopes be in Jesus,
the sinner's Friend. May he be made unto me
wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification
and redemption. " The Lord is my rock and
my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my
strength, in whom I will trust ; my buckler, and
the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."*
Look to Jesus for wisdom to lead you safely
through a dark, bewildering world of sin and
folly, to the bright mansions of eternal glory.
Lean on him for support, while you jounfey
through the wilderness. Let him be always the
beloved of our soul ; always "the chiefest among
ten thousand" in your estimation ; yea always
the one altogether lovely. Look to a crucified
Jesus for righteousness. He only can clothe the
guilty, polluted sinner with the beautiful robes
of redeeming righteousness, with the spotless
garments of salvation. Every redeemed sinner
in glory rust be clad with the radiant vesture
* Psalm xviii. 2.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 305
of a Saviour's righteousness, This alone will
make us appear beautiful in the eyes of Jehovah.
This alone will place us before his throne, amid
!he glories of heaven. Blessed righteousness of
crucified Jesus ! What glory does it bring to
iost man! Then, with Paul, desire to "be
found in Christ, not having your own righteous-
ness, which is of the law, but that which is
through the faith of Christ, the righteousness
which is of God by faith."*
Look to Jesus for sanctification Without
holiness no man shall see the Lord. The pure
in heart shall see God. Jesus will wash every
filthy, unclean soul that flies to him, in his own
divine blood, and make that sinful soul shine
with unsullied purity and perfect holiness
through heaven's eternal clay.
Look to Christ crucified for redemption.
Trust in no other. Hope in no other. Christ
is the redemption of his people. They look to
him, and are saved. He has bought them with
his precious blood. He has prepared them for
glory. Through his ail-atoning sacrifice, they
shall "eat of the tree of life, which is in the
midst of the paradise of God," and be crowned
with everlasting bliss. embrace a crucified
Saviour iid rest on him in all h's savir g offices,
bil. iii. 9.
20
306 CHKIST; AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
Take him as your Prophet, Priest and King.
Thus he will be jour complete Saviour; youi
all in all.
The pious author of the Christian Eetiremcnt,
has the following beautiful remaiks: "Christ is
the salvation of all his dear, believing people ;
they look to no other ; they love no other ; or,
if they love others, it is Christ in them who is
the chief object of their affection.
" Here I behold a way of access opened to poor
perishing sinners, through faith in the atone-
ment of Jesus. Lord, give me faith in thy dear
Son. Enable me to cast my soul without re
serve upon thy covenanted mercies in Christ
Jesus. In him alone is eternal life. In him
alone are treasured up grace, mercy, ai?d peace.
He that hath the Son, hath life; for this is
eternal life, to know thee, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Oh for
a heart to believe unto righteousness ! Blessed
Lord, this heart thou only canst bestow. Thou
knowest my wickedness and wretchedness ; my
frailties and follies; my helplessness and tota]
alienation of heart from thee. Thou knowest
from what height of happiness I am fallen
through original sin, and into what depth of
misery I am plunged through wilful transgres-
sion. But, Oh sovereign love! Oh matchless
grace' thou hast pitied mo; thou hast sent thv
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 307
Son, thy only Son, to save me. Thou hast as-
sured me that all who believe in him shall not
perish, but have everlasting life."
In a word, look to Jesus as the great Phy-
sician of our sin-sick soul. He only can cure you
of all your spiritual maladies. He only can clothe
you with immortal health, and angelic vigor in
the world of glory. Come to Him, and you
shall drink of the healing waters of life, and
eternally bloom in the paradise of God.
Ho\r _ost was my condition,
Till Jesus made me whole!
There is but one physician
Can cure a sin sick soul!
Next door to death he found mt%
And snatched me from the grave^
To tell to all around me,
His wond'rous power to save.
" The worst of all disease*
Is light, compar'd with sin*
On ev'ry part it seizes,
But rages most within:
Tis palsy, plague and fever,
And madness all combin'd,
A.nd none but a believer,
The least relief can find.
From men great skill professing,
I thought a cure to gain ;
But this proved more distresing^
And added to my pain ;
808 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
Some said that nothing ail'd tne,
Some gave me up for lost ;
Thus ev'ry refuge faU'd me
And all my hope?! were croas'd.
'At length this great physician,
How matchless is his grace 1
Accepted my petition,
And undertook my case :
First gave me sight to view him
For sin my eyes had seal'd ;
Ttyen bid me look unto him;
I look'd, and I wap heal'd.
1 A dying, risen Jesus,
Seen by the eye of faith ;
At once from danger frees us>
And saves the soul from deatt
Come then to this .Physician,
His help he'll fre^Jy tcive,
Ha makes nc hard <v>cditio,
*R* omy, ook and lir** 3
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 309
CHAPTER X.
THE CROSS OF CHRIST, THE GLORY OP THE CHRISTIAN.
" God ferbid that I should glory, save n the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ." GAL. vi. 14.
" "Well may I glory in his cross,
While he prepares my crown."
WHAT wonders are manifested in the Cross
of Christ! What fountains of joy does it un-
cover for the thirsty sinner I What oceans of
divine grace does it reveal to the aspiring saint .
What glories does it unfold to the ransomed be-
liever ! It is the power of God, and the wisdom
of God, and the salvation of the soul. How it
displays the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to
poor, perishing sinners! boundless grace,
that pitied us \vhen lost! and that lescued us
from everlasting burnings I The cross of Christ
manifests the free, sovereign, matchless love of
God to a lost world.
How free tne love, now rich tne grac,
A pard'ning God bestows ;
To Adam's vile, apostate race.
In boundless streams it fl rwa.
310 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.^
What joy arisej in tlio heart
When Jesus' cross appears
Salvation to my soul impart,
Subdue my guilty fears.
** Bless'd Saviour, speak the healing word
Bid all my si m>ws cease,
Be thou my Great Atoning Lord,
My Righteousness and Peace."
What joys flow from the Saviour's cross ! It
is the sight of that cross, which enables the
sinner to read his title clear to a glorious im-
mortality. The cross of Christ is full of rich,
heavenly blessings. The pardon of sin, the jus-
tification of our persons, the sanctification of our
natures, eternal life, immortal glory, the endless
enjoyment of a triune God in heaven, are some
of the blessings which it contains. O my soiu,
pant after these blessings so fully treasured up
in the cross of Christ, and so freely offered to
dying sinners. Header, come to the cross, and
these blessings will descend on your head.
You will then taste of the fountains of bliss in
Immanuel's land, and bathe in the rivers of
pleasures which eternally flow through tho
Jealms of glory.
* O the swe-et wonders of that cross,
Where Christ my Saviour loved and died,
Her noblest ife my spirit draws,
FT TO his rb;.r wov sds and bleeding side."
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 311
Here we have the infinitely tender love, the
immensely free, rich grace of the bleeding, dying
Immanuel. What a sweet topic for contempla-
tion ! What a noble theme for the Christian to
glory in ! Well might the great Apostle of the
Gentiles exclaim, "God forbid that I should
glorjr, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I
unto the world."
In the Scriptures the cross of Christ is used in
three different senses. 1. It denotes the timber
to which our Lord was nailed, and on which he
expired. " He endured the cross, despising the
shame." " He became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross.""* 2. It denotes the way
of salvation through Christ and Him crucified.
* "The punishment of the cross was a Koman invention.
It was made use of only in the case of slaves, or very no-
torious malefactors. The cross was made of two beams of
wood crossing each other. It was' laid on the ground and
the criminal stretched upon it. A nail was driven through
each hand, and one nail through both the feet. It was then
lifted upright, and let fall into a hole, where it was wedgod
in. The crucified man was then left to die hanging by his
hands and feet. This was the death to which Jesus stooped."
how amazing was that condeseBnskn of God's own Son,
which brought him from a glorious throne to a suffering
cross 1 Amazing condescension indeed! O how brightly
did that wonderful love of a blessed Saviour blaze on Cal-
vary, when he so willingly, so cheerfully endured the doath
cf the cros<a there for us sinners.
312 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
"The preaching of the cross is to them that
perish foolishness ; but unto us which are saved
it is the power of God." "We preach Christ
crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and
unto the Greeks foolishness ; but unto them
which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ
the power of God, and the wisdom of God."*
3. It is used to denote the sufferings endured in
following a crucified Saviour. "If any man
will come after me, let him deny himself and
take up his cross and follow me."f It was in the
Atonement of Jesus made on the cross that the
Apostle gloried. This furnishes the ground of
the Christian's triumph. This endears the cross
to his soul. This makes the sufferings of Cal-
vary appear so glorious in his eye. It was the
glorious, finished work of a crucified Kedeemer
on the ignominious cross, that drew from the
Apostle's lips, this exulting language: "God
forbid that I should glory save in the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ." By the cross of Ohr,st
is here meant the whole of that sublime scheme
of redemption executed on Calvary, by the death
of the Son of God. To Paul this was an ab-
sorbing i/opio his chosen favorite theme. On
this adamantine foundation, he built his hopes
for eternity.
1 Cor. i. 18-23, 24 f Alttit. *iv. 4.
C HEIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 313
This was the blessed source of all his joy
the sublime cause of all his glorying. He
gloried in nothing else. At all times, and in
every place he visited, Paul gloried in Christ
and him cuicified. Among Jews and Greeks,
Barbarians and Scythians, the learned and the
illiterate, this was his delightful theme ; in this
he exulted. From the top of Mars-hill, he waved
the banner of the cross over the proud city of
Athens. Nothing could cool the fervor of
Paul's attachment to the cross of Christ. " The
sacred flame that was kindled on his way
to Damascus," says the eloquent Dr. Spring,
" burned brighter and brighter, through dark-
ness, through trial, through the floods and
through the flames, till it rose pure from the
scaffold where he received the martyr's crown,
and whence his spirit ascended to receive the
crown that fadeth not away." that every reader
would imbibe the spirit of Paul, and glory only
in the cross of Christ 1 The cross of Christ is
the Christian's glory. In every age this has
been his song. Every true believer glories in
Christ and him crucified. A ray of heavenly
light from the cross, beams on his soul, filling it
with joy unspeakable and full of glory ; enabling
him to sing in the ways of the Lord and glorify
the rock of his salvation. He sees the moral
grandeur of the cross its attractiveness; ite
314 C II BIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
dazzling glory. He is thus led to place all his
hopes in the cross of the Man of Calvary, and to
glory, before an ungodly world, in that atone-
ment made by the blood of Jesus. All his hopes
of eternal felicity in heaven, spring from the
cross of Christ. No wonder then, that he should
extol that Saviour who died to save him, and
celebrate that wondrous work which procures
/or him, endless bliss.
*"Tis Jesus died to save,
Tis Jesus lives to bless ;
On high he dwells the sinner's friend,
The Lord, our righteousness.
"Then, Oh my soul, rejoice,
Extol thy Saviour's name ;
Make mention of his dying love.
And celebrate his fame.
"He claims thy heart, thy love;
He claims tliee for his own ;
Oh cast thyself in willing bonds
Before his heavenly throne."
It is through an interest in the cross of Christ,
that the Christian is enabled to reach the peace-
ful shores of a happy eternity. Well may he be
enraptured with such a theme : well may he
glory in such a cross I Not one blessing flows
to him but what comes from the cross of Jesus.
How innumerable. Lnw invaluable then are the
CHRIST, AND HIMCRUCIFIED. 315
blessings which proceed from the cross of Christ!
Time cannot unfold them. Eternity will roll
away in telling their numbers, and in revealing
their preciousness. In heaven, we will clearly
see how much we owe to the cross of Christ.
There, we shall rejoice through a blessed eter-
nity in contemplating the wonders of the cross
in meditating on redemption's glorious work.
rny soul, glory in the cross of Christ now.
Rejoice in the finished work of the Lord Jesus.
" He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."*
Let him glory in a crucified Saviour, in his
atoning blood, in his perfect righteousness,
in his vicarious death and joyful resurrection,
in his triumphant ascension to glory in his con-
tinual intercession at God's right hand for sin-
ners. Let the Christian glory in that cross
which has opened for him the gates of heaven,
and which will seat him amidst the ambrosial
bowers of paradise, where he shall be perpetually
fanned with the cool, balmy breezes of Irnman-
uel's land, and enjoy sweet eternal communion
with God and the Lamb. Blessed cross that
crowns the sinner with such bliss ! Who would
not^glory in such a theme ? Let me exhort uhe
followers of the Lamb to glory in the cross of
Christ Let them glory in Christ and him
* . Cor. i. 81
316 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
crucified. " In the Lord shall all the seed of
Israel be justified, and shall glory."* ' Let all
those that put their trust in thee rejoice; let
them ever shout for joy : let them also that love
liiy name be joyful in thee."f " Let the saints be
joyful in glory; let them sing aloud upon their
beds.";f Oh 1 how often has the cross inspired
the Christian with bright heavenly hopes, fired
his soul with a foretaste of celestial bliss, and
caused his heart to shout for joy amidst the suf-
ferings of mortality.
There is nothing so animating to the Christian
as a sight of Calvary. How despicable does the
world appear in his view, when he obtains a
glimpse of that cross on which his Saviour died I
Every thing else loses its lustre when, by the
eye of faith, the cross of Christ is seen. Have
you seen the glory of the cross of a crucified
Jesus? Have you come within sight of Calvary
and seen the blood streaming from Immanuel's
veins to wash away your sins, and save your
soul ? Are you delighted with this way of sal-
vation ? Does the cross of Christ fill you with
joy? Have you seen its attractions? Then
glory in it.
Amid all the varied scenes ?f life in pro*
* la. xv 25 f Ps. v. 11
Pa. DV. 5
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 317
perity and adversity, in health and sickness, in
life and death, the cross of Christ is the Chris-
tian's glory. Sooner would the children of God
lay down their lives than cease to glory in this
blessed theme. And they have done so, in
thousands of instances. For their attachment
to the cross, " they loved not their lives unto the
death." How those noble martyrs whose souls
iscended to glory amid billows of flame and
*moke, loved the cross! How they gloried in
it ! From the dreadful flames of persecution,
many a shout was heard on high, " God forbid
that I should glory, save in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ." In the bloody days of suf-
fering and death, the martyr's dying song at the
burning stake has been, " Welcome the cross of
Christ ! Welcome the cross of Christ ! Wel-
come life everlasting." Thus sweetly sung the
dying Saunders, as he kissed the stake at which
he was bound.
Let the cross of Christ also be your glory,
Rejoice, in Jesus, your Saviour. "Rejoice in
the Lord alway; and again I say, rejoice."" 3 *
Let Cii; 1st and his glorious work for the salva-
tion of sinners, be your song in the house of
your pilgrimage; and when earth, with all ita
fascinating pleasures shall have passed away
* Phil, i 4
318 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
like a dream, you will JOY in God, in your Sav-
iour, through the rolling ages of a blessed eter-
nity. Standing on " the crystal sea of glass"
before the e.ernal throne of heaven, you will
raise a nevci -ending song of praise to Him who
si tteth upon the throne ; whose blood redeemed
you to God, and in whose cross you gloried on
earth. Blessed Jesus! enable each reader to
glory in thy cross. Give us all hearts of faith
to receive and rest upon thee. May we realize
thy preciousness. May thy death be our life,
thy cross, our glory. Refresh our souls with
the provisions of the cross. Crown our heads
with its blessings. Lead us through the " green
pastures" and " still waters" of divine grace, and
when our pilgrimage on earth is ended, when
life's short tale is told, bring us to that blessed
home in the world of glory, which is the pur-
chase of thy cross.
" Behold me at the bleeding cross ;
Wash out, dear Lord, each guilty stain
Oh, may I count the world but loss
Thy love my great, my richest gain."
For the numberless benefits and blessings, he
derives from the cross of a loving Saviour, the
Christian has great reason to glory in it. It is
" the tree of life" to the believing soul. Its fruit
is spiritual and divir.e. Those who taste it,
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 319
never hunger, never thirst, never die. The
blessings which hang clustering on this tree of
life are innumerable. Eternity alone can unfold
them. Here we taste but drops from the foun-
tain-head above; there we shall forever drink
of the water of life in the paradise of God. In
heaven we shall enjoy all the blessings of the
cross of Jesus ; and there we shall eternally
glory in it. A few of these rich blessings we
now select.
1. The pardon of sin; this is one of the bless-
ings of the cross. The pardon of all our sins,
original and actual, was obtained by the death
of Christ. " Through this man" (though a cru-
cified Saviour) " is preached unto you the for-
giveness of sins."* There is no remission of
sins but through the cross of Christ. This ex-
piates our guilt, and sets us free. Here God,
in his unbounded love, removes our transgres-
sions from us, as far as the east is from the west.
Here he speaks in merciful tones to the sinner.
This is his comfortable language through the
cross of Jesus : " Come now and let us reason
together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as
scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; though
they be red like crimson, they shall be as
wool."t
Acts xiii. 38.
I
i. 18.
320 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
Through the blood of the cross, pardon flows
to a rebel world. to be interested in that
cross which confers such an invaluable blessing
apon our sinful race ! Well may redeemed sin-
ners glory in salvation by Jesus. " my soul,
my guilty soul, what are all the kingdoms of the
world, and the glories of them, compared with
this ineffable blessing !"
2. The cross of Christ procures our justifica-
tion, reconciles us to God, and clothes us with
the robes of righteousness. The cross of Christ
justifies the ungodly. The sinner is accepted
in the beloved. " By him all that believe are
justified from all things, from which ye could
iot be justified by the law of Moses."* The
TOSS of Christ procures our peace with God.
'When we were enemies, we were reconciled
to God by the death of his Son."f He hath
made " peace through the blood of his cross." J
Through the cross of Jesus we enjoy the favor
of a gracious God, which is better than life. By
the cross of Christ, the world is reconciled to
God. No wonder then that the atoning sacri-
fice, of a crucified Saviour, should be all our
boast. No wonder that we should "joy in God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we
have now received the atonemeu t." The cross
* Acts xiii. f\ ] R:ra. v. 10. $ Col. L 2CX
CHKIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 321
of Christ invests the sinner with a robe of purity
the spotless righteousness of Immanuel. All
the redeemed in glory have washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
In heaven all are beautified with the wedding
garment. The righteousness of a crucified Jesus
covers all. " That righteousness," says the pious
Doddridge, " to which, on believing on him,
thou wilt be entitled, shall not only break those
chains by which sin is, as it were r dragging thee
at its chariot wheels with a furious pace, to
eternal ruin, but it shall clothe thee with the
robes of salvation, shall fix thee on a throne of
glory, where thou shalt live and reign forever
among the princes of heaven, shalt reign in im-
mortal beauty and joy, without OD-e remaining
scar of divine displeasure upon thee, without
any single mark by which it could be known
that thou hadst ever been obnoxious to wrath
and a curse, except it be an anthem of praise to
* the Lamb that was slain, and has washed thee
from thy sins in his own blood.' " Well may
we glory in the cross on account of its righte-
ousness.
3. The cross of Christ delivers us from this
present evil world. " By whom the world la
crucified unto me, and I unto the world."
"A sigl.t of Jesus on the cross
Mftkeb all th:s woVd appear as
21
822 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
The Christian looks beyond this dying world to
his eternal home in glory. The cross of Jesus
enables him to soar on high, and leave the world
behind him. He looks forward to the glory that
Is to be revealed in him. He sets his affections
on things above. O, keep gazing on a crucified
Saviour, and the world will lose its charms.
"Be of good cheer," says Christ, "I have over-
come the world." We also shall overcome it,
through his *cross. It is a sight of the cross of
Christ that weans the affections from sublunary
objects, and centres them on heavenly and divine
things. In this wicked world, the Christian
thirsts for God, and pants Co reach the mansions
of glory. The language of his heart in this-
wilderness is thus beautifully expressed by the
poet:
" I thirst, but not as once I did,
The vain delights of earth to stare
Thy wounds Immanuel, all forbid,
That I should seek my pleasur^ &
'It was the sight of thy dear crosa,
First wean'd my soul from earthiy . .**.
And taught me to esteem as dross,
The mirth of fools and pomp of
I want that grace that springs from
That quickens all things where it flor?
And ma ie a wretched thorn, like me,
Bloc i us the myrtle, or the rose.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 323
"Dear fountain of delight unknown .
No longer sink below the brim ;
But overflew, and pour me down
A iving, and life-giving stream I"
4. Another blessing of the cross of Ohrist ia
the victory over death and the gloomy grave.
Death is the last eaaemy that the Christian has to
encounter. But the cross of Christ crowns him
with complete victory. It disarms death of its
sting and the grave of its terrors. When the
swellings of Jordan roll -over the believer's soul,
the cross of Christ sustains him. When amidst
he gloom &nd darkness of death, a celestial
beam from the cross of Christ often shines to
guide the Christian pilgrim through the "valley
and shadow of death," and to cheer his droop
ing soul with a prospect of the glories of the
heavenly Canaan. The believer is then enabled
to exclaim, "yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no
evil ; for thou art with me ; thy rod and thy
staff they comfort me." It is the cross of Christ
that puts this song in the believer's lips. It is
Jesus, the sinner's Friend, that smooths the
passage to the tomb to the realms of everlast-
ing day. Precious, crucified Savio-ar I
** Jesus can make a dying bed
Feel soft as downy pillows are,
324 CHKIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
While on his breast I lean my head,
And breathe my life out sweetly there."
The cross of Christ enables the dying Chris-
tian to come off the stage of mortal conflict,
shouting with Dr. Pay son, "Victory, victory!
Peace, peace!" or with Dr. Simpson, "0 death!
where is thy sting? What art thou? I am
not afraid of thee. Thou art a vanquished
enemy through the blood of the cross !" The
cross of Christ converts the king of terrors into
a messenger of peace. Now it is gain for the
believer to die. When the Christian closes his
eyes in death, it is only " to depart and be with
Christ, which is far better." The cross of Christ
enables the believer to finish his Christian war-
fare with this triumphant song, " death, where
is thy sting ? grave, where is thy victory ?
Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory,
through our Lord Jesus Christ I"
"Jesus, the vision of thy face
Hath overpowering charms;
Scarce shall I feel death's cold embrace,
If Christ be in my arms."
6. The cross of Christ opens the portals of
glory for our reception. It admits us into the
presence of God and crowns us with unutterable
bliss. There is no way to heaven but through
the cross of Christ. When the cross of Christ
CHRIST AND HIM CEUOIFIED. 325
was erected on earth, the gates of paradise were
opened above. This leads the sinner to glory.
The precious blood of Jesus that was poured out
upon the cross, is the only procuring cause of
heavenly felicity. Jesus died to make us happy
eternally happy. This is the blessed consum-
mation of all his sufferings and death. This was
the reason why he groaned in Gethsemane, why
he bled and died on Calvary. It was to make
you shine eternally in mansions of glory. This
is the grand design of the preaching of the cross.
It points sinners to a glorious immortality. This
is one of its ineffable blessings. Salvation is by
the blessed cross of Christ. What tongue can
express the felicity of the redeemed before the
throne of God ! What heart can conceive the un-
speakable bliss that the ransomed sinner shall
enjoy, to all eternity, through the cross of
Christ ! " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man the
things which God hath prepared for them that
love him."* "In thy presence," cries the
Psalmist, " is fulness of joy ; at thy right hand
there are pleasures for evermore."f How differ-
ent is earth from heaven I
" Here griefs, and cares, and pwns,
And fears, distress us sore ;
1 Cor. ii. 9 f Ps *>. 1J.
326 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
But there eternal pleasure rsigns,
And we shall weep no more,"
In heaven, the redeemed shall have fulness
of joy. What inexpressible joy must fill their
souls when they shall see the King of Heaven
in his beauty, when Jesus shall dwell among
them forever and ever! Then shall they be
ever, ever with the Lord. Then shall "the
tabernacle of God be with men, and he will
dwell with them, and they shall be his people,
and God himself shall be with them, and be their
God. And God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes ; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there
be any more pain ; for the former things are
passed away."* Eternal felicity crowns all the
inhabitants of heaven. Eternal glory shines
around all the mansions of the blessed. The
celestial city is illuminated by the glory of God
and the Lamb. Of the glory of that heavenly
city, in which the saints are to spend ceaseless
ages, the following lively description, founded
on the word of God, is furnished by the immor-
tal Bunyan : " Now just as the gates were opened
to let in the men, I looked in after them, and
behold the city shone like the sun ; the streets
Rev. xxi. 3 4.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 327
also were paved with gold, and in them walked
many men with crowns on their heads, palms
in their hands, and golden harps to sing praises
withal. There were also of them that had wings ;
and they answered one another without inter-
mission, saying, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord.
And after that, they shut up the gates ; which,
when I had seen, I wished myself among them."
Those happy souls, who have washed their
robes, and made them white in the blood of the
Lamb, and who are on this account presented
faultless before the throne of God, shall " serve
him day and night in his temple ; and he that
sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any
more ; neither shall the sun light on them, noi
any heat. For the xjamb which is in the midst
of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead
them unto living fountains of waters; God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."*
Who would not glory in the cross of Christ,
when it confers so many rich, eternal blessings
upon a sinful world 1 In short, all the blessings
that are bestowed upon the Christian in his pil-
grimage through the wilderness, till he comes 10
the heavenly Canaan, and all the felicity he en-
joya in that world 01 glory, flo\\ directly from
* Rav. vh 15, 17.
328 CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
the cross of Christ. From the cross of Chris tj
he derives ample provision by the way, and
when he reaches the mansions of gloiy, he eats
of the fruit of the "tree of life" in the midst of
the paradise of God. Here,
** Jesus the bread of life is giv'n,
To be our daily food
We drink a wondrous stream from heav'c,
Ti water, wine and blood.
* Lord, tis enough, I ask no more.
These blessings are dmne,
I envy not the worldling's store,
If Christ and heav'n are mine *
BJessed cross of a crucified Saviour, that
brings such glory to God, and such peace and
good-will to man
IT* conclusion, let me exhort you to glory in
the cross of Christ, through life and all its vicis
situdes ; and when you stand on the verge of the
grave, when you feel the chilly embrace of the
last enemy ; yes, when death shall strike its darts
at your vitals, adhering to the banner of the
cross, you will be enabled boldly and triumph-
antly to exclaim, " death, where is thy sting?
grave, where is thy victory?" When you
arise to immortality amid the chaos of a crumb-
ling world, while others, in despair, are calling
upon the mountains and the rooks to fall on
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 329
them and hide them from Him that sitteth on the
throne, then, dear believer in Jesus, you will
glory in the cross of Christ. As you enter on
the saint's everlasting rest, you will triumph in
the cross of Jesus ; and as you sail on the vast
unbounded 6cean of eternal blessedness, this
shall ever be the unchanging language of your
enraptured soul, "Ood forbid that I should
glory ave in the eross of o':r Lord Jesus Christ '*
330 CHBIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
CONCLUSION.
SOLEMN APPEAL TO THE READER.
DEAR reader, allow the writer, before he lays
aside his pen, perhaps never to resume it, to be-
seech you to be reconciled to God to embrace
Christ and Him crucified, as your only hope.
You have a precious immortal soul to be saved
or lost ; a soul, the value of which exceeds in
amount all the wealth of the globe, yea of thou-
sands of worlds. The value of one immortal
soul is faintly expressed by the poet :
" Knowest thou the value of a soul immortal I
Behold this midnight glory; worlds on worlds!
Amazing pomp! redouble this amaze ;
Ten thousand add ; add twice ten thousand more ;
Then weigh the whole ; one soul outweighs them all !
The redemption of the soul is -precious.
" What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the
whole world, and lose his own soul? or what
shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"
The soul is destined to live through eternity in
the bright realms of eternal glory, or in the dis
mal regions of eternal misery and despair. O
did you ever seriously think of that solemn word.
CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 331
Eternity! Eternity I Forever! Forever! Think
of it now. " But who can measure eternity ?
compared with whose everlasting lines, myriads
of years are infinitely less than atoms floating in
the midday sun 1 All thought is lost in its im-
mensity, and swallowed up in its fathomless
abyss." Eternity is yours is mine. You shall
shortly enter upon an eternity of boundless bliss
or unspeakable misery. The trump of God shall
soon summon a sleeping world to judgment.
The eternal destinies of all men shall soon be
irrecoverably fixed. The righteous shall be wel-
comed to the kingdom of heaven, where they
shall shine as the sun forever and ever; but
oh ! how my soul trembles to think of the awful
doom that shall be pronounced upon the wicked,
on those who have rejected a crucified Saviour,
" Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,
prepared for the devil and his angels."
Did you ever ask that dreadful question,
"Who among us shall dwell with devouring
fire ? who among us shall dwell with everlast-
ing burnings?" 4 * Of the inhabitants of the pit
it is said, that "their worm dieth not," and
there " the fire is not quenched." But, blessed
be God, there is a way, an only way to escape
the wrath te come. This way is through Christ
* 9. xxxiii. 14.
332 CHKIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
and kirn crucified. " God hath not appointed
us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord
Jesus Christ."* Then flee to Christ, and you
shall be saved with an everlasting salvation.
You have a loving Saviour. In him compas-
sions flow. Best in his love ; rely on his atone-
ment, and glory in his cross. Our parting ad-
vice to you is, to take refuge in Christ and him
crucified ; and when the last awful storm shall
arise to crush an ungodly world, it will only
waft you into the harbor of eternal glory. To
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we commend
you. In his hands we leave you. May God
grant that both reader and writer may meet in
that world of glory, where there is no more sin,
nor sorrow, nor pain, nor death; and where
God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes.
Blessed with an interest in Christ and him cru-
cified, and cheered with the hope of a glorious
immortality, we will approach our graves in
peace ;
"Lik one that draws the drapery of his couch
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams ; w
and at that solemn period, the resurrection of a
sleeping world, we shall arise in a glorious im-
mortal form, free from all corroding disease or
* 1 Thea. v. ix.
CHBIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. 333
painful death, and surrounded with the ineffable
glories of the Deity, we shall engage in the sub-
lime raptures of celestial bliss, bathe in that pure
river of the water of life that flows through the
paradise of God, and drink of those perennial
streams which issue from the fountain of life,
while eternal ages roll away.
" In cheerful hope my soul relies,
Blest Saviour, on thy dying love,
Uatil I reach the blissful skies,
A^d strike Uia golden harp
of a
PREFACE.
THE design of this essay is to contemplate the Christiar
pilgrim's journey through the wilderness of this world tc
that better land, even the Heavenly Canaan to point out,
briefly, the way by which the Captain of our Salvation
leads his followers to glory.
It has been the grand object of the author to make the
reader feel that he is a stranger and a pilgrim on earth
to make him realize the solemn truth, that man is like to
vanity; that his days are as a shadow which passeth
away ; that mutability and dissolution are the character-
istics of all sublunary objects; that
" All, on earth, Is shadow ; all beyond
IB substance."
When we look at the brevity and vanity of human life,
we may well exclaim, in the beautiful and touching reflec-
tion of Edmund Burke, " What shadows we are, and what
shadows we pursue /" and in the similar impressive lan-
guage of Patrick Henry, "lam but a poor worm of the dust,
as fleeting and unsubstantial as the shadow of the cloud
that flies over the fluids, and is remembered no more /"*
Or we >nay rather open the pages of Holy Writ, and say,
with the wisest of men, "Vanity of vanities ; all is vanity ;"
and with othf* aspired penmen, " As for man, his days
are as grass ; as a flower of the field so he flourisheth :
for the wind passeth over it, and it is gone ; and the place
thereof sr all know it no more." " For what is your life ?
work
and
* This essay was composed during the preparation of a large
entitled "The most Eminent Orators and Statesmen of tbe World ;
!n writing the memoirs of Burke and Henry the author was so deeply
Imoressed with these touching thoughts whicb o^cur in- their lives, that
be jannct help repeating then? ^ero.
22
388 PREFACE.
It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a ittle time, and
then vanisheth away."
Amidst the excitement and bustle of a busy world, it is
to be feared that the Christian too often forgets his true
character as a pilgrim, journeying to mansions of glory in
ch? skies. Too apt is he to place his affections upon those
terrestrial objects by which he is surrounded in his pil-
grimage. How often is this the case with the young
Christian, over whom the world, with its delusive pleas-
ures, exercises such a fascinating power .
The author would earnestly and affectionately entreat
the young reader to pause with this solemn reflection, 1
am but a traveller here. Remember that you are pass-
ing rapidly through a scene of shadows and death to
a state of eternal realities. 0, then, we beseech you to
live, as God's dear children, above the world, with your
eye directed to that blessed Home in your Heavenly
Father's House, where the wicked shall cease from troub-
ling, and where the weary are at rest.
Should the few plain words here written be the means
of inducing any to pass the time of their sojourning here
in the fear of God of persuading them to live and walk
by faith in Christ to rely, entirely, on His atoning blood
for salvation the author will desire no other reward than
the happiness of knowing that he has been an humble in-
strument, in the hand of God, for doing good.
This essay is now cast, as a mite into the treasury of
Biblical Literature, and commended to the blessing of
Heaven. May it cheer the Christian pilgrim as he jour-
neys through this world of sin and sorrow, and lead him
to strive more earnestly for the glory, honor, and immor-
tality of heaven, to cleave more closely to Jesus, and to
labor more zealously in his cause, so that, when he- comes
to pass the vale of life he may enter the abodes of im-
mortal glory, and receive the Saviours plaudit and wel-
come, u Well done, good and faithful servant ; enter thou
nto the joy of thy Lord. Come, ye blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you finm the foundation
of the world."
ARGYLK, N. Y , Nov^ 1856.
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
CHAPTER I.
THIS WORLD A WILDERNESS; AND THE CHRISTIA> 4
PILGRIM.
"For we are strangers before tliee, and sojourners a*
were all our fathers : ur days on the earth are as a
shadow, and there is non abiding." 1 CIJRON. xxix. 15.
BEYOND this darksome vale of tears and
death there lies a bright and joyous region of
immortality, where weary pilgrims meet to stray
no more. In that happy land their wanderings
will have forever terminated, arid they shall sit
down in everlasting repose under the delightful
shadow of the Tree of Life, in the midst of the
paradise of God, and enjoy through tJhe blis*
ful ages of glory, the presence and smiles of
that Friend and Saviour who, in the tenderest
love for tlaeni, once poured out his own most
precious blood on Calvary, that he might pre-
sent them, faultless, before the throne of Heaven
840 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM
liow transcendently glorious must be the fu-
ture eternal home of the Christian pilgrim!
On those golden plains beyond the river of
death, rays of divine glory are beaming in full
effulgence. There, the Sun of Eighteousness
is shining in all his meridian splendor, making
eternity one constant noontide of untold and in-
describable glory and blessedness a day with-
out clouds. There, our Immanuel shall be as
the " light of the morning when the sun riseth,
even a morning without clouds." Eternal day
will dawn without a cloud. No gloom or dark-
ness will ever overspread those blissful realms
beyond the shores of time. The celestial world
will always be irradiated by the glory of God
and the Lamb, and the redeemed shall ever
bask in the gladsome sunshine of Infinite Love.
In that bright home of pilgrims, the Saviour
will conduct his ransomed ones to living foun-
tains of waters, streams of immortal joys, and
God shall wipe away all tears. In the presence
of Jesus there is fulness of joy ; at his right
hand there are pleasures for evermore. Eye
hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor has the hu-
man heart ever conceived those things which
God has prepared for them that love him. An
exceeding and eternal weight of glory will
crown every pilgrim who has found the happy
shores of Immanuel 's Land. In the Palace of
WAN DB KINGS OF A PILGRIM, 341
the King of kings, all will be perfectly blessed,
and from that " building of God, that house not
made with hands," there shall be no more going
out ; but we shall ever be with the Lord, behold-
ing his glory and enjoying the soul-ravishing
manifestations of his endearing love. 0, happy
abode of Zion's pilgrims ! 0, sweet and pleas-
ant clime, where the balmy zephyrs of Heaven
refresh the weary soul ; where there floweth not
a tear ; where there entereth not a pain ; where
death itself shall be swallowed up in victory 1
This is the heritage of them that fear the Lord,
But before our feet stand on the blissful
shores of the heavenly Canaan, we have to
pass through a wilderness scene. This world is
that wilderness, where Zion's pilgrims wander
till they are taken home to glory. It is a
thorny pathway that leads to the realms of
eternal day; but, by the grace of God, the
Christian is enabled to hold on the good way
with joy, till he passes through the wilderness
and over Jordan, more than a conqueror through
Jesus, and takes up his seraphic song of tri-
umph, amid the undying splendors of immor
tality.
In this little volume it is our design, as has
been stated, to contemplate the Christian in his
pilgrimage to the promised land the happy
home cf aL the true followers of Jesus.
34:2 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
In this chapter there are two prominent ideas
which recur in our mind, and which deserve our
serious consideration.
1st. This world is a wilderness.
2d. The Christian is a pilgrim here.
1. To every child of God this world, with all itt
conceived pleasures, is nothing bnt a wilderness,
far from his Father's House ; far from that goodly
land which he so ardently longs to see and to pos-
sess. This is the view which every saint takes
of earth ; and it is a just one. "What the wil-
derness was to the children of Israel in their
journey to 'the promised land, this decaying
scene is to the believer in his progress heaven-
ward. It is not his rest; it is not his home.
On the contrary, it is a wilderness world of
trouble, from which he is coming up to the
mansions above. The dark, rugged pathway
lies through imminent dangers and difficulties,
which sometimes rise like mountains before the
Christian pilgrim, and threaten to retard his
march to the land of immortality. But it is a
blessed consolation to know that Jesus guards
the way to Mount Zion ^ that he will suffer no
evil to befall us ; that even here, in this vale of
tears, all things shall work together for our
good.
The sorrows and bereavements of life render
this earth a trving wil lerness world to the child
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM. 343
of God. Here, the winds of adversity and floods
of sorrow sweep along our path, making us
long to reach the blissful hill of Zion, where
"no chilling blasts annoy," where all is bloom-
ing with immortal love and peace. Here, we
are almost constantly distressed with difficulties,
cares, pains, and griefs, which render this p.
weary land "a land of deserts and of pits, a
land of drought, and of the shadow of death."
It is sin that makes this world a wilderness to
the saint. On account of the sin in his heart, he
often faints, and is ready to die; he feels that
this is indeed a valley of weeping, and longs to
arrive at the borders of the wilderness, that he
may cross into Canaan.
Besides all this, he has to encounter, in his
journey, violent opposition from an ungodly,
persecuting world. This makes him cry out,
with the Psalmist, " Woe is me, that I sojourn
in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedarl
My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth
peace." In the world, there are fightings with-
out, and fears within. How unlike this dark
bode of sin and misery are those radiant man-
sions far bey or d the starry sky! There the
wicked cease from troubling; and there the
weary are at rest.
2. The Christian is a pilgrim here. He has
only a temporary residence in this vale of tears;
344 WANDERIN-GS OF A PILGRIM.
his abiding home is in that world "where m.,
mentary ages are no more." Now he is on his
journey to those tearless, blissful regions where
he is to spend the ceaseless, revolving ages of
eternity.
When the children of Israel were in the wil-
derness, they had no permanent residence, but
were continually roving about from place to
place; journeying to that goodly land which
flowed with rnilk and honey, and which was
then the glory of all lands ; " a land of brooks
of water, of fountains and depths that spring
out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat, and
barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegran-
ates; a land of oil-olive and honey." So the
believer is a pilgrim on earth, with no continu-
ing city, nor certain place of abode, travelling
through a dreary wilderness to that city which
shines in the highest noon of glory ; to that land
of blessedness and immortality, where perennial
streams of bliss issue from the eternal Fountain
of Life to refresh the weary soul, and where we
may freely eat of the fruit of the Tree of Life,
in the midst of the paradise of God.
How impressive is the language of Moses to
Hobab, in the wilderness: " We are journeying
unto the place of which the Lori said, I will
give it you." The hosts of Israel, instead of
making their a^xlr in the waste, howling wild
WANDERINGS OF A II L GRIM. 345
erness, were marching forwarc; to obtain posses-
sion of that land which the Lord 'sware unto
their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to
give unto them and to their seed after them."
Like those ancient pilgrims, we have a promised
land in view, and onward is our motto. Instead
of seeking our home and our happiness in a
perishing world, we are pressing on to that glo-
rious kingdom which Jesus, in his boundless
love, has gone to prepare for our reception, and
which he has promised to bestow on all them
that love him; for he says: "I appoint unto
you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed
unto me ; that ye may eat and drink at my table,
in my kingdom, and sit on thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel." And again ; " Fear
not, little flock ; for it is your Father's good
pleasure to give you the kingdom." So the
Christian pilgrim, animated by such precious
promises, has good hope, through grace, of gain-
ing the happy shores of Canaan ; of possessing
the heavenly inheritance of making his eternal
abode in the courts of Paradise; acd of sitting
down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, at the
banquet of redeeming love, in the kingdom of
God. With such glorious prospects in view, no
wonder that he should look upon earth as a bar-
ren, homeless world ; that he should feel like a
stranger and sojourner in it. No wonder that
346 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
he should speed his earthly flight to reach the
bLssful skies.
We are entreated by a compassionate Saviour
to seek the better country. In the wilderness^
the divine injunction to the children of Israel was
to march forward to the land of promise: "And
the Lord said -iinto Moses, Depart and go up
hence, thon ami the people which thou, hast
brought ^p out of the land of Eg}^pt, unto the
hind which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac,
and to Jacob, saying, unto thy seed will I give
it." The same solemn command, reminding us
O
of our short pilgrimage on earth, is sounding in
our ears. It is the entreating voice of the
Saviour, calling upon us to forsake this present
evil world, and seek our portion in the fair
reanns of eternal day. It is a voice of com-
passion and love that says to us, " Arise ye, and
depart ; for this is not your rest. Seek ye first
the kingdom of God, and his righteousness."
The Christian pilgrim obeys the divine injunc-
tion ; sets forward on his journey ; leaves the
world, looks beyond this dying scene, gazes on
the celestial Canaan, till its glories beam upon
his soul, till he breathes the pure atmosphere of
the upper world, till his ear hears the glorious
melody of heaven and his eye catches a glimpse
of the king in his beauty, and of the land that is
afar off. ^ays the weary pilgrim, as onward
WANDERINGS OF A
K I M. 347
he journeys with his eye directed towards the
heavenly Canaan. In yonder glorious world is
my rest and abiding home. Yes :
"There is my house and portion fair;
My treasure and ray heart are there,
And my abiding home ;
For me my elder brethren stay,
And angels beckon me away,
And Jesus bids me come 1"
The Christian confesses that he is a pilgrim
here.
All the children of Zion all who have evur
travelled to the Canaan on high, have acknowl-
edged that they were strangers and pilgrims in
this wilderness world. Of those ancient worthies*
who died in faith, in the bright hope of a
blessed immortality beyond the darksome grave,
and wh are held up in the precious volume of
inspiration, for our imitation in the Christian
life it is said, they " confessed that they were
strangers and pilgrims on the earth." To this
land of shadows and of death, their views were
not confined. No. They looked higher than
earth. They desired a better country, that is,
a heavenly ; wherefore God is not ashamed to
oe called their God ; for he hath prepared for
them a city. Of Abraham, it is saicl that he
sojourned in the land of promise, a- 61 /n a strange
848 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and
Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise ;
for he looked for a city which hath foundations,
whose builder and maker is God The earthly
Canaan was but a type of the heavenly ; and
therefore the patriarchs, overlooking the passing
scenes of a sublunary world, elevated their views
to the true land of promise beyond the skies.
In contemplating his present state, each child
of God is ready to exclaim with the Psalmist,
when addressing his Heavenly Father in earnest
prayer. " I am a stranger with thee, and a so-
journer, as all my fathers were." His feelinga
with regard to earthly objects are beautifully
expressed in the glowing language of the Chris^
tian poet :
* 5 Nothing on earth I call my owii ,
A stranger to the world, unknown,
i all their goods despise :
I trample on their whole delight,
And seek a city out of sight,
A city in the skies.
" Not a foot of land do I possess ,
No cottage in this wilderness;
A poor, wayfaring man ;
I lodge awhile in tents below,
Or gladly vander to and fro,
Till I my Canaan gain."
Thus the Christian pursues his journey and
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM. 349
pitches liis tent nearer and nearer Canaan, till
he reaches the banks of Jordan, where some ap-
pointed herald of glory is ready to conduct his
happy spirit to the bosom of Abraham to the
mansions of rest to the paradise of God.
The believer's life is a progressive one. All
the true followers of Jesus are daily advancing
in their journey towards the realms of peace.
They go on, from strength to strength, through
this wilderness scene, until every one of them
appeareth before God in the celestial Zion.
Their earnest and continued endeavors are to get
nearer Heaven, to become ripe for glory ; hence,
forgetting the things which are behind, and
reaching forth unto those which are before, they
press toward the mark for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus. They are not
satisfied with their present life in the wilderness.
It has but little attractions for them. They are
not conformed to the world. They do not think
of making their abode in this valley of weeping;
but onward they travel towards the land of
Canaan that pleasant region which lies beyond
the Jordan of death. Their course is upward
"All Christians," says the pious McCheyne,*
" are coming up out of the wilderness. Sabbath
days are like milestones marking our way ; or
* This refers to his journey t" ^alestine in 1839.
350 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
rather, they are like the wells we used to coine
to at evening. Every real Christian is making
progress. If the sheep are on the shoulder of
the shepherd, they are always getting nearer the
fold. With some, the shepherd takes long steps.
Dear Christians, you should be advancing, get-
ting higher, nearer to Canaan, riper for glory.
In the south of Russia, the country is of vast plains,
rising by steppes. Dear friends, you should
get on to a higher place, up another step every
Sabbath day. In travelling, you never think of
making a house in the wilderness. So, dear
friends, do mot take up your rest here ^ we are
journeying. Let all your endeavors be to get
oil in your journey,"
We would earnestly invite you, gentle reader,
to accompany us in our pilgrimage to the hea-
venly country. We would beseech you, with
the utmost compassion for your immortal soul,
to forsake the path of death, and follow the way
of life the way to undying glory and felicity.
In a word, we would most affectionately say to
you as Moses did to Hobab, " We are journey-
ing unto the place of which the Lord said, I will
give it you : come thou with as, and we will do
thee good : for the Lrrd hath spoken good 30 a-
oernmg Israel."
WANDEKINGS OF A PILGKIM. 351
CHAPTER II.
OF THE CHRISTIAN'S JOURNEY - DIFFI-
CULTIES IN THE WAY.
"Wo must through much tribulation enter into the king-
dom of i^od." ACTS, xiv. 22.
Let us adore the grace that seeks
To draw our hearts above!
Attend, 'tis God the Saviour speaks,
And ev'ry word is love.
No man begins the journey to the heavenly
home, until by the gracious influence of the
Holy Spirit, his soul is attracted to Christ, the
Living Way, the Truth, and the Life. At that
happy hour when the heart is opened, and the
understanding enlightened to discern spiritual
things, the Saviour's love is the first to beam ir.
mild, sweet, constraining influence upon the
soul of the renewed man. He wonders that he
was not able 'befops .to discern the beauty, the
excellence and glory <f Immanuel. Now, Jesus
appears to him the eMefest among ten thousand,
and altogether lovely. Now, he is ready to .-x
claim, "My beloved is rr.me, and i. am his.
Whoi.. have I in heaven b\it thee? and there in
none upon earth that I desire besides thee.
Thus enlightened by divine grace, the p
352 WAN-DKRIN&S OF A PILGRIM.
turns froia the Citj of Destruction t< the
Heavenly Mansions. He leaves the crovKled
TOiicl which leadeth to eternal darkness and woe,
and enters on the narrow pathway that conducts
the weary traveller to realms of light and bliss.
The star of Bethlehem is his guide, the pro-
mises of God's word, his rod and staff; and
heaven, his everlasting, happy home. His views
are now elevated above the decaying objects
around him. His affections are placed upon
things above. He contemplates with rapturous
delight the bleeding glories of Immanuel, and
the shining abode of Zion's pilgrims in the celes-
tial kingdom. He is risen with Jesus. He has
become a spiritually minded man. He lives and
walk* by faith in the Son of God. Though in
the world, he is no longer of it ; but belongs to
the kingdom of Jesus Christ. As an heir of
glory r as a traveller to the skies, as an expectant
Df eternal biiss, he looks above and beyond the
troublesome scenes of a fleeting pilgrimage.
He enjoys t&e charming and sublime prospect
beyond the precincts of time I He beholds in
that brighter world^ an ocean of glory, without
a shore, and without a storm !
As the Christian pursues his- j< urney, with
his eye fixed on the solemn realities of eternity,
earth and sublunary grandeur appear to him aa
transitory as the morning cloud and early dew
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM. 353
compared with those immeasurable ages of bliss,
which roll before his transported vision.
A traveller on his journey, loves to cherish
the endearing thoughts of home and domestic
happiness. Nothing is so dear to him in all his
wanderings as the fireside of his fathers the
land of his birth. In like manner, he who has
been constrained, by the Saviour's love, to begin
the blessed journey from the wilderness of this
world to the heavenly Canaan, will delight to
meditate on the riches and glory of his Father's
house, in the pure, unclouded realms of eternal
day. The Jerusalem above will be dearer to
him than any earthly object. His language will
be : " If I forget thee, Jerusalem, let my right
hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember
thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my
mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my
chief joy." In every stage of his pilgrimage,
the Christian loves to think of that better land,
his true, abiding home, where he shall sing
triumphant songs of praise to his Redeemer, and
his God.
We have thus hinted at the pleasing vie^
which opens to him from whose eyes the scales
ot unbelief have fallen, who is enabled to look
at eternal things in the light of God's word ; and
who has set out upon the Christian's journey, to
the celestial city. We shall now notice a few
23
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
of the diiHoulties which lie in the way to glory
for no sooner does the pilgrim enter on the path
of the jugt than he meets with obstacles. We
mention three sources from which the Christian
may expect to meet with great opposition in
lighting the good fight of faith.
L The \Vorld. The world with its sinful
treasures aivj enjoyments is calculated to cap-
tivate the auctions, enchain the heart and irr
pede the pilgrim's progress to the heavenly rest.
A thousand fascinating charms are thrown
around his pathway through this bewildering
world. In city and in country ; on land and
on sea everywhere, the soldier of the cross is
surrounded by spiritual dangers and difficulties.
Yet the clar path to thine abode,
Lies through this horrid land ;
Lord, -VC would trace the dangerous road,
Ana run at thy command.
Love of the world is one great means of retard-
ing our journey to the skies. O, how many have
turned aside from following the blessed Jesus,
by placing all their affections upon this present,
fleeting scene, which in a very few years at most
will profit them nothing 1 ! "Demas hath for-
aken me, having loved this^present world." See
to it r Christian, that -you love. not the world. By
fa'th Miol' 1 the cross of Const, nnd the bleed-
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM. 355
ing glories of Calvary, and this world with, all
its riches and honors will become a dim and
dying object in your view.
" Then, pilgrim, let thy joys and fears
On time no longer lean ;
But henceforth all thy hopes aod fears
From earth's affections wean."
Obey the warning voice of mercy if you. would
roach the blissfui shore : " Love not the world,
neither the things that are in the world. If any
man love the world, the love of the Father is
not in him."
Notwithstanding the Christian's endeavors to
Jive above th world, and near to God, how
often is he compelled to cry out with the Psalmist:
1 li [y soul cleaveth unto the dust : quicken thou
me according to thy word."
"From arth, and all its empty joys,
Blest Jesus, set me free ;
How vain the worldling's gilded toys,
Compared with heaver and tbee! '
"Thou art my hope, my way, my bliss,
My firlory, arxl my crown ;
Descend, thou blessed Prince <i Peace,
And make my heart t-hy throne."
We must also expect to mret with opposition
from an unbelieving world. Those who have
356 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
their part and portion here do not love them
who have 3hosen a better inheritance above.
The world hates a true follower of the Lamb.
Jesus was himself the object of their hatred.
No wonder then that his followers should meet
with the same reception from unbelievers. The
Saviour says to his disciples : " If the world hate
you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you,
If ye were of the world, the world would love
his own ; but because ye are not of the world,
but I have chosen you out of the world, there
fore the world hateth you." It has been truly
said that if we are faithful, we must indeed ex-
pect reproach ; if we boldly confess Christ be-
fore men, and steadily maintain that marked
distinction which forms the line of separation
between the church and the world, we must
submit to have our names cast out as evil.
2. The Dev:iThe Christian pilgrim will
meet with opposition from Satan. " For we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places." The inspired
writers give us directions how we are to meet
and vanquish this arch enemy of souls. Be
sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, th
devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking
whorr he may devour ; whom resist steadfast in
WANDERINGS OF A PILGKIM. 357
the faith (1 Peter, v. 8, 9). "Resist the devil, and
he will flee from you (James, iv. 7). Put on the
whole armor of God, that ye may be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil. Stand
therefore, having your loins girt about with
truth, and having on the breast-plate of righte-
ousness; and your feet shod with the preparation
of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the
shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And
take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God ; praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the
Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseve-
rance and supplication for all saints. (Eph. vi.
11, 18.) Let us follow this advice, and we shall
win a glorious %-ictory, and receive an immortal
crown. The God of peace shall bruise Satan
under our feet shortly. In the arms of Jesus
we shall be safe, eternally safe from the attacks
of our subtle adversary. Satan will never be
able to pluck a single believing soul from the
hands of an Almighty Saviour. Animated by
such a consideration, let us press forward in our
pilgrimage, armed with the panoply of Heaven ;
and in a little while the Satanic conflict will be
over; the a we shall take up sweet, unending
flongs of triumph in that happy place, where the
358 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
wicked cease from troubling, and where the
weary are at rest.
3. The Fksh. Another enemy, with which
the Christian will have to contend until this
mortal shall have put on immortality, is the
flesh. As the believer is never perfectly sancti-
fied in this life, the remains of corruption in his
heart must be a source of continual annoyance
to him in coming up from the wilderness to the
land of perfection and bliss. Here, the flesh
lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against
the flesh. The Canaanites are still in the land ;
and the soldier of the cross must be always on
his guard, lest they surprise and overcome him.
" The remainders of corruption require continual
watchfulness and circumspection, lest they in-
crease and regain their former possession of the
heart. Sin still dwelling in the believer, causes
that, warfare, which must never cease till this
body is laid in the grave, never more to harass
the disembodied spirit, encircled with heavenly
glory." How often has the remaining depravity
of the human heart made the good man weep
and bend, as under an insupportable load, and
long to be freed from the bitter thraldom of sin-
ful flesh ! This made Paul cry out in the bitter-
ness of his soul, " wretched man that I am I
who shall deliver me from the body of this
death?'' But almost with tho sarro breath he
WANDERINGS OF A PILGKIM. 359
exclaims, as he sees the Great Deliverer, "I
thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Here, then, is our strength and deliverance.
Jesus is the salvation of Israel. In Him we
snail obtain complete dominion over the corrup-
tions of our nature. How reanimating to hear
that sweet promise whispered in our ears, while
we are still in an enemy's land, " My grace is
sufficient for thee : for my strength is made per-
fect in weakness."
Then, if we would overcome all the diffi-
culties which lie in our pathway to immortal
bliss if we would reach the happy shores of
Lmmanuel's Land let us follow the advice oi
the Apostle. Let us cast off the works of dark-
ness ; let us put on the armor of light ; let us
walk ho'nestly, as in the day ; not in rioting and
drunkenness; not in chambering and wanton-
ness ; not in strife and envying. But, above all,
let us put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make
not provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts
thereof.
What a glorious reward is held forth to hn--;
who is true to the cause of Christ throughout
his pilgrimage on earth ! " Be thou faithful unto
death, and I will give thee a crown of life."
what unutterable bliss awaits the faithful fol-
lowers of Jesus in that eternal, glorious world
toward which they are daily advancing! And
360 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
how much is there in the Holy Scriptures to
animate us in struggling amid the sorrows and
conflicts of the Christian course I They tell us
that all the riches and glories of the heavenly
Canaan are to be enjoyed through the ceaseless
ages of eternity, by those who have overcome
by the blood of the Lamb.
The cheering language of the Saviour is, " To
him that overcometh will I give to eat of the
tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise
of God." And agaki : " Him that overcometh,
will I make a pillar in the temple of my God,
and he shall go no* more out. He that over-
cometh shall inherit all things: and I will be
his God, and he shall be my son."
" Oft as I look upon the roau
That leads to yonder blest abode,
I feel distressed and fearful :
So many foes the passage throng,
I am BO weak and they so strong,
How can my soul be cheerful 1
"But when I think of Him whose powei,
Can save me in a trying hour,
And place on Him reliance,
My soul is then ashamed of fear ;
And though ten thousand foes appear
I'll bid them all defiance.
The dangerous road I then puratio,
And keep the glorious prize in viv
WANDERINGS OF A PILGK1M. 361
W ith joyful hope elated ;
Strong in the Lord, in Him alane.
Where he conducts, I follow on.
With ardor unabated.
' O Lord, effch day renet* my strength
And let me see thy face at length,
With all thy people yonder :
With them in heaven thy love
Ijed sing thy praise for
/itch tfratitu ' ? au J
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
JHAPTER III
ENCW'RAGKM&NTS PROVISION BV THK WA7.
' Bread shnll be civen him ; his waters shall be sure,*-
(s. xxxiii. lt>.
" I thirst! God, great Source of Love!
Infinite Life streams from above,
() give one drop and let me live!
Th<- barren world has naught to give:
No solace have its streams for me:
I thirst alone for heaven and Thee."
WHEN the Israelites were rnarcning through
the burning wilderness of Arabia to the prom-
ised land, God nourished them with bread from
heaven, and with water from a smitten rock.
Then he opened the doors of heaven, and rained
down manna upon them to eat, and gave them
of the corn of heaven. Man did eat angels'
food ; He sent them meat to the full. He clave
the rock in the wilderness, and gave them drink
as out of the great depths. He brought streams
also out of the rock, and caused waters to run
down like rivers (Psalm Ixxviii.) The same is
true, in a spiritual sense, of Zion's pilgrims, who
are Journeying through this barren wilderness
WANDERINGS OF A PILGKIM. 363
world tc the happy Canaan above. They are
encircled in the same Everlasting Arms. Their
wants are supplied by the same Almighty Hand,
They eat of the hidden manna, and drink of the
water of life. How beautifully is this compari-
son illustrated by the Christian poet 1
" When Israel by divine command
The pathless desert trod,
They found, though 'twas a barren land,
A sure resource in God.
**A cloudy pillar marked their road,
And screened them from the heat;
From the hard rocks the water flowed,
And manna was their meat.
" Like them we have a rest in view,
Secure from adverse powers :
.cake them we pass a desert, too.;
But Israel's God is ours.
Yes, in this barren wilderness,
He is to us the same,
By his appointed means of grace,
As once he was to them."
A gracious God, in the infinitude of his love,
has provided ample provision for the refresh-
ment and support of weary pilgrims in passing
through this dark vale to the joyous realms of
everlasting light. Here, he has instituted the
precious ordinaries of divine grace and salva
364: WANDERINGS OF A PILGEIM.
tion, for our joy and happiness till we come to
worship Him in His temple above. As our
kind Heavenly Father, he has given us the
bread of life. Jesus Christ is the true bread
from heaven, with which the souls of believers
are nourished in their lonely pilgrimage. Says
the Saviour, "I am the bread of life: he that
corneth to me, shall never hunger ; and he that
belie veth on me, shall never thirst. I am the
living bread which came down from heaven:
if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for
ever : and the bread that I will give is my flesh,
which I will give for the life of the world. 1 '
The Israelites, in their wanderings in the wil-
derness, were fed with manna; but we, in our
journey to a better land, partake of the fulness
of Jesus, whose flesh is meat indeed, and whose
blood is drink indeed. Here, in this wilder-
ness,
" Jesus, the bread of life, is given
To be our daily food :
We drink a wondrous stream from heaven,
'Tis water, wine, and biood.
** Lord, 'tis enough, I ask no more,
These blessings are divine ;
I envy not the worldling's store,
If Christ and heaven are mine."
Here, we drink of the living waters of sal-
vation those streams of immortal joys, which
WAN BEE INGS OF A PILGRIM. 365
issue from the pierced side of a blessed Be-
deemer, for the refreshment of thirsty pilgrims,
wandering through the deserts of life. The per-
ennial fountain of that river, whose streams
make glad the city of our God, is to be found in
a suffering Saviour ; and at this precious Foun-
tain we may quench our thirst forever.
" Whosoever drinketh of the water that I
shall give him," says Jesus, " shall never thirst;
but the water that I shall give him, shall be in
him a well of water springing up into everlast-
ing life." Here is the well of endless life.
thirsty soul, come to a bleeding Saviour, and
drink, asid live forever. You are earnestly in-
vited to- eome to the Fountain of Life. These
living waters are freely offered to you, t- me, to
one, to all. This is the language of redeeming
love : " Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to
the waters ; and he that hath no money, come
ye r buy r and eat ; yea, come, buy wine and
milk without money and without price." (Is. Iv.
1.) " The Spirit and the bride say, come. And
let him that is athirst, come. And whoso-
ever will, let him take the water of life freely.''
(Rev. xxii. 17.) "I will give unto him that is
athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."
(Rev. xxi. 6.)
When the children of Israel left the land of
Egypt, the Lord guided them through the path-
366 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
less desert by a pillar of cloud and fire until
they were brought to the borders cf Canaan.
Thus the great Leader of his spiritual Israel has
kindled a light in this dark and dreary land to
guide his chosen people to that glorious realm
on high, where it is said, " The Lord shall be
unto thee an everlasting light, and thy Grod thy
glory." The blessed word of God affords the
Christian traveller light, comfort, joy, and pro-
vision by the- way. Says the Psalmist : " Thy
word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto
my path. This is my comfort in my affliction ;
for thy word hath quickened me. Thy statutes
have been my -songs in the house of my pilgrim-
age. Thy testimonies have I taken as a heri-
tage forever-, for they -are the rejoicing of my
heart. How sweet are thy words unto my taste I
yea, sweeter than hon-ey to my mouth."
In the Bible there is every thing provided for
the needy traveller to Zion. " It embodies all,"
says an eloquent living divine,* " that a Chris-
tian in this pilgrimage can need. It is his only
* Rev. J. B. Waterbury, D. D., a distinguished clergyman
Off Boston. author of " Advice to a Young Christian,"
"Who are the Happy V " Consideiaticns for Young Men,"
&c., <fec. These beautiful and excellent practical treatises w
would earnestly commend to the attention of every young
disciple of the Saviour. They are the production* of an abl
and pious divine.
WANDE KINGS OF A PILGBIM. 367
chart tiirough this tempestuous Ike. In trouble,
it is his consolation ; in prosperity, his monitor ;
in difficulty, his guide. Amid the darkness of
death, and while descending into the shadowy
valley, it is the day-star that illuminates his
path, makes his dying eye bright with hope,
a&d cheers his soul with the prospect of immor-
tal glory."
Ample provision is set before the pilgrim of
Zion in a preached gospel. Here it is that his
soul is refreshed with the richest streams of di-
vide grace. Here, he draws living waiter out
of the wells of salvation with joy. No wonder,
then, that the child of God loves, above all other
places in this world, the habitation of God's
house. No wonder that his language is
"I joyed when to the house of God,
Go uj>, they said to me ;
Jerusalem, within thy gates
Our feet shall standing be.*
** How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord jf
hosts ! A day in thy courts is better than a
thousand. I had rather be a door-keeper in the
house of my God, than to dwell in the tei:ts of
wickedness/ 1
But the most abundant provision is procured
for needy pilgrims in the Lord's S'ipper. This
& i most precious, a most soul-ravishing rrdi-
368 WAND BEINGS OF A PILGRIM.
nance of grace. Surely, if there is a time wnen
the Christian is permitted to lie down in green
pastures, by the still waters, in this bleak and
barren world, it is during communion seasons,
when he draws around that holy table, and med
itates- on the wonders of Calvary. Then it is
that his weary soul is refreshed with the abun-
dance of God's grace, and with the goodness of
his house Then it is that he reposes with the
greatest delight under the shadow of Jesus, who
protects all his people from the burning wrath
of an offended God. "I sat down under his
shadow with great delight, and his fruit was
sweet to my taste."
If there is a moment this side of heaven,
when the Christian traveller seems to breathe a
purer atmosphere than that of earth, it is when
seated at the table of the Lord, he takes into his
hands the emblems of Immanuel's broken body
and shed blood, and, with the eye of .faith
turned towards Calvary, views that immaculate
Saviour nailed to the accursed tree, bleeding
from every pore -in his unparalleled love,
dying for rebel man, and by his vicarious death
opening the way to God and to glory.
When the believing communicant appropriates
Christ and his righteousness as freely offered in
this ordinance, he feels as if his happy spiiit
were fanned by the breezes of paradise It ia
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM. 369
this appropriating act this feasting on Ch'rist
crucified that refreshes the weary pilgrim infin-
itely more than all the enjoyments of a dying
world. This rich provision satisfies the soul as
with marrow and fatness : it fills it with joy,
unutterable, indescribable and full of glory. Our
poor pen cannot describe the joy and peace
which a famishing soul experiences when it eats
of the hidden manna and drinks of the living
water. It is impossible to tell how soul-reviv-
ing it is thus to receive a crucified Saviour as
ours ; to have his goodness imparted to our souls.
" How sweet the sacred joy that dwells
In souls renewed by power divine ;
Where Jesus all his goodness tells :
Oh ! may this joy be ever mine "
Corne, then, weary pilgrim, and repose in
these green pastures, and bathe in the still wa-
ters. You will then be invigorated for treading
the pathway through the shades of . earth to
that bright, happy region where you shall for-
ever eat of the fruit of the tree of life in the
midst of the paradise of God ; and where you
shall drink of that perennial fountain which is-
sues from the throne of the Eternal.
How happy is the condition of Zion's pil-
grims even in this land of sorrow! Their
warts are al supplied out of Jesus, in whom it
870 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
hath pleased the Father that all fulness should
dwell. Their provision is prepared by the God
of all grace ; and it is sufficient. They shall
feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be ir>
all high places. They shall not hunger nor
thirst, neither shall the heat nor sun smite
them: for he that hath mercy on them shall
lead them, even by the springs of water shall
he guide them. (Is. xlix. 9, 10.)
Go then, Christian traveller, on your way to
the peaceful shore of glory, singing, with a
cheerful heart, the pilgrim's song :
"The Lord's my shepherd, Til riot want:
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green : he leadeth me
The quiet waters by.
My soul he doth restore again ;
And me to walk doth make
Within the paths of righteousness,
Even for his own name's sak*
4i Yea, though I walk in death's dark vala
Yet will I fear none ill :
For Thou art with in 9; and Th^ rod
And staff me comfort still.
' My table Thou hast furnished
In presence of my foes;
My head Thou dost with oil anomt
And -\v cup overflows.
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM. 371
Goodness and mercy all my life
Shall surely follow me :
And in God's house for evermore
My dweHinflf-vlooe ehatt h<v*
372 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
CHAPTtn IT,
THE CHRISTIAN PILGRIM IN THE VALLEY OP 3ACA.
"Who passing through the ralley of Baca." PSALM
booiv. 6.
"God, in Israel sows the seed
Of affliction, pain, and toil;
These spring up and choke the weeds
Which would else o'erspread the soil :
Trials make the promise sweet,
Trials give new life to prayer ;
Trials bring me to his feet,
Lay me low, and keep me there."
OUR pilgrimage to the Heavenly Canaan lies
through a valley of weeping. This earth is a
vale of tears : and it is a path which all of
Zion's pilgrims must tread until they come to
that place where the voice of weeping shall no
more be heard. We must through much tribu-
lation enter into the kingdom of God. (Acts, xiv.
22.) Of God's own chosen people, it is said,
" Thou feedest them with the bread of tears ;
and givest them tears to drink in great measure."
The followers of Jesus must not, therefore, ex-
pect to find a smooth road to glory. Thou,
God, nast proved us : thou hast tried us, as sil-
WANDEBINGS OP A PILGBIM. 373
ver is triad. Thou broughtest us into the net ;
:hou laidest affliction upon our loins ; thou hast
caused men to ride over our heads; we went
through fire and water ; but thou broughtest us
out into a wealthy place. (Ps. Ixvi. 10, 12.)
" Our path is strewed with piercing thorns ;
Each step is gained by arduous fight,
Yet wait, till hope's bright morning dawns,
Till darkness changes into light."
Some of the trials which render this world c
vale of tears, and which the Christian pilgrim
is called to suffer, are, bodily sickness, mental
anguish, adversity, and bereavement. Who has
not experienced some of these afflictions ?
1. Our limits will permit us to notice only the
last mentioned that of bereavement. And whose
cheeks have not been moistened by the tears
shed for the loss of some dear companion?
Who has not, in this land of death, been called
4 o take the last look of some loved associate in
jis toilsome pilgrimage? to see, perhaps, his
Jearest friends lowered in the cold, dark grave ?
D how trying to flesh and blood is bereave-
fcentl "This is the bitterest of all earthly
sorrows. It is the sharpest arrow in the quiver
of God. To love tenderly and deeply, and
then to part- ; to meet together for the last time
or. earth ; to bid farewell for time ; to have all
874 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
remembrances of home and kindred broken
up ; this is the reality of sorrow ; to look upon
that face that shall smile on us no more; to
close those eyes that shaL see us no more ; to
press those lips that shall speak to us no more ;
to stand by the cold side of father, mother,
brother, sister, friend, yet hear no sound and
receive no greeting ; to carry to the tomb the
beloved of our hearts, and then to return to a
desolate home with a blank in one region of our
souls which shall never again be filled till Jesus
comes with all his saints ; this is the bitterness
of grief; this is the wormwood and the gall."
This is what the saints of God, as well as the
men of the world, are daily called to endure ;
and this is what renders earth such a vale of
tears.
2. But we would also notice the design which
God has in afflicting the righteous. It is to pre-
pare them for that better land, where there is
fulness of joy. It is to draw their affections
from earth to heaven from the wilderness to
Canaan. It is to make us mindful of rur in-
heritance above to make us feel that we are
strangers and pilgrims on the earth to make us
cleave to Jesus by faith to make us meditate
on the wonders of his redeeming lor^, to
qualify us for a participation of the joys of the
redeemed before the Throne. Our light, mo-
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM. 375*
mentary affliction, worketh for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory. " Afflic-
tion," says one, "not only profits us much just
now. but it will serve us much in eternity.
Then we shall discover how much we owe it.
All that it is doing for us, we know not now,
but we shall know hereafter. It is preparing
for us a ' more abundant entrance/ a weightier
crown, a whiter robe, a sweeter rest, a home
made doubly precious by a long exile and many
sufferings here below."
" I wonder," says that godly man of other
days, Rev. Samuel Eutherford, " I wonder
many times that ever a child of God should
have a snd heart, considering what 'the Lord is
preparing for them." "When we shall come
home, and enter into the possession of our
brother's fair kingdom, and when our heads
shall feel the weight of the eternal crown of
glory, and when we shall look back to pain and
sufferings, then shall we see life and sorrow to
be less than one step or stride from a prison to
a glory, and that our little inch of time-suffering
is not worthy of our first night's welcome home
to heaven.' 1 " However matters go, the worst
shall be a tired traveller, and a joyful and sweet
welcome home."*
Bays tl a excellent divine. Rev Hcratius Bonar. of
376 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
8. But amidst all our affliction here we are not
without strong consolation. The most precious
promises are extended to the mourning pilgrims
of Zion. There is One that speaks to them in the
tenderest love and compassion. God hath com-
forted his people, and will have mercy upon his
afflicted. (Is. xlix. 13.) I, even I, am he that
comforteth you. (Is. li. 12.) There is an eye that
watches over suffering pilgrims. There is a
hand that smooths the rugged passage to the
realms of day. There is a Friend in Heaven,
who feels for his sorrowful disciples in this vale
of tears. Jesus is that Friend who sticketh
closer than a brother; and his encouraging lan-
guage .to his' afflicted followers is, "Let not your
heart be troubled: ye believe in God. believe
also in me. In my Father's house are many
mansions." u He that goeth forth and weepeth,
bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come
again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with
him."
There is a joyful harvest-home lor weqmjj
Kelso, Scotland, "Beloved, 'it is well.' It is good U
afflicted. Our days of suffering here we call days of da-fc-
ness; hereafter they will seem our brightest and fairest. In
eternity we shall praise Jehovah, most of all for our sorrow
4nd tears. So blessed shall they then seem to us, that TT6
ahall wonder how we veld ever weep and sigh." Ntgk.of
Weeping, p. 174.
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM. 377
pilgrims in New Jerusalem. In that happy
home, no tears shall ever flow, through the
glorious ages of vast eternity.
"There purity with love appears,
Arid bliss without alloy;
There thay that oft had sown in tears
Shall reap again in joy."
Of those who are marching through this vale
of tears to Immanuel's land, our gracious
Heavenly Father has said: "They shall corne
and sin# in the heights of Zion; and they shall
not sorrow any more at all : for I will turn their
mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and
make them rejoice from their sorrow." Then
shall every tear be wiped away from the faces
of all the redeemed before the throne of God.
4. A consideration of tJie brevity of their earthly
triads ought to afford relief to weary pilgrims who
are looking to Jesus for eternal life. They will
not be long in the valley of Baca. They will
soon have reached the heights of Mount Zion
Our light affliction is but for a moment. Weep-
ing may endure for a night, but joy cometh in
the morning. (Ps. xxx. 5.)
How pleasing is the thought that our redemp-
tion is every moment drawing nearer. We may
well lift up our heads with joy, for the coming
of the Lord draweth nigh. Our journey to the
378 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
skies is but a short one. We are rapidly ad-
vancing to the tearless region. " Every hour
that strikes, every morning that dawns, and
rvery evening that darkens around us, brings us
nearer to the end of our pilgrimage." A few
more tears of sorrow ; a few more days of dark-
ness, and nights of weeping, and we shall ever
be with the Lord in that better country, where
we shall find fulness of joy in the presence of
Him who hath loved us with an everlasting
love vv ho hath washed us from our sins in his
own most precious blood, and who will \v r ipe
away all tears from our eyes. Then the Lord
will be our everlasting light, and the days of
our mourning be ended. Even so, come, Lord
WANDEBIN8S OF A PILGRIM. 379
CHAPTER V.
THE CHRISTIAN ON PISGAH's MOUUT.
"Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall
bohold the land that is very far of" Is. xxxiii. 17.
" I was a grov'ling creature one,
And basely cleav'd to earth ;
I wanted spirit to renounce
The clod that gave me birlu.
" But God has breathed upon a worm,
And sent me from above,
Wings such as clothe an angel's form
The wings of joy and love.
* With these to Pisgah's top I fly,
And there delighted stand :
To view beneath a shining sky,
The spacious promised land."
BEFORE the children of Israel gained posses-
sion of the land of Canaan, they were refreshed
with a taste of its delicious fruits. In like man-
ner, the Christian, before he reaches the better
country, has many sweet foretastes of celestial
joys,
Blessed be God 1 the believer is not always in
380 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
the valley of weeping. There are times when
he seems to live above the world, and to have
nothing but the glories of heaven in his eye.
At such delightful seasons, he can adopt the
soul-stirring language of Dr. Payson: "The
celestial city is full in my view. Its glories
beam upon me, its breezes fan me, its odors are
wafted to me, its sounds strike upon my ears,
and its spirit is breathed into my heart."
The views of the pilgrim, when, by faith he
surveys the better land, are similar to those of
the Christian when showed the Delectable Moun-
tains. How beautifully and strikingly is this
described by the immortal Bunyan: "Then I
saw in rny dream, that >n the morrow he got up
to go forward, but they desired him to stay till
the next day also ; and then, said they, we will,
if the day be clear, show you the Delectable
Mountains ; which, they said, would yet farther
add to his comfort, because they were nearer the
desired haven than the place inhere at present
he was ; so he consented and staid. When the
morning was up, they had him to the top of the
house, and bid him look south. So he did,
and behold, at a great distance, he saw a most
pleasant mountainous country, beautified with
woods, vineyards, fruits of all sorts, flowers also,
with springs and fountains, very delectable to
behold (fsa. xxxiii. 16. 17.} Then he asked the
WANDERINGS OF A PILGBIM. 381
name of the country. They said it was Im-
manuel's land ; and it is as common, said they,
as this hill is, to and for all the pilgrims. And
when thou comest there, from thence thou mayest
see to the gate of the celestial city, as the shep-
herds that live there will make appear."
We would notice, in a word or two, how and
where the Christian obtains the most glorious
views of that Promised Land which lies beyond
the Jordan of death.
1. As Moses obtained a view of the earthly
Canaan from the top of Pisgah, so we get a glimpse
of heaves dy glory from the mount of meditation
our spiritual Pisgah. "'By meditation," says a
pious old divine, " I can converse with God
solace myself in the bosom of my Beloved;
bathe myself in rivers of pleasures; tread the
paths of my rest, and view the mansions of my
eternity. What gainest thou, then, my soul,
in this valley of tears ? Up upon the mount,
and view the Land of Promise. What canst
thou look for in this wilderness of trouble ? Up
upon the wing, and take thy flight to Heaven :
let thy thoughts be where thy happiness is, and
let the heart be where thy thoughts are : though
thy habitation may be on earth, yet thy con-
versation shall be in Heaven."
2. It ift while waiting upon God in the courts of
his house whik se \ted at the talk of the Lord,
382 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
that the Christian pilgrim sometimes obtains the
brightest views of Heaven. It is in the earthly
temple of the Lord that we oftentimes obtain a
glimpse of the heavenly mansion. Here it is,
that a sweet promise has been repeatedly veri-
lied to the children of God: "Thine eyes shall
see the King in his beauty ; they shall behold
the land that is very far off."
how delightful is it thus to glance from
earth to Heaven from a dying world to one of
immortal bloom from the turbulent scene of
our toil and suffering to the peaceful mansions
of our rest and felicity 1 There is nothing that
transports the soul of a weary pilgrim like a
faith's view of his eternal rest beyond the swell-
ing floods of Jordan.
" How rich the prospect glows
Beyond this vale of tears;
Where crystal water flows,
And verdure crowns the year."
Come then, fellow pilgrim, and survey your
everlasting happy home. Ascend the Mount of
Pisgah, and behold the glori6us land before you.
View the Celestial City, with its twelve gates of
pearls, and its streets of gold, enlightened by the
glory of God and the Lamb. See the river of
pleasure, with its crystal streams, flowing from
the Eternal T v r:>ne ; and the Tree of Life, with
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM. 383
its twelve manner of fruits, standing In the
midst of the Paradise. Behold the countless
throng of tae redeemed before the throne.
Hear their sweet, melodious strains, which shall
ever gladden the realms above : " Unto Him
that loved us, and washed us from our sins in
his own blood, and hath made us kings and
priests unto God and his Father; to Him be
glory and dominion forever and ever, Amen."
a Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength,
and hcnor, and glorv, and blessing.''
"There shall the ransomed throng
A Saviour's love record ;
And shout, in everlasting song,
SALVATION TO THI LORD."
Above all, contemplate your blessed Re
deemer, seated on his great white throne, en
circled with heavenly glory. Look at the King
m his beauty. It is the sight of a glorified
Saviour that will make the heaven of the be-
liever. Endeavor now, by the eye of faith, to
behold the Lord Jesus in all his matchless
beauty and excellence. Contemplate his glo-
rious character ; his infinite mercy ; his un
paralleled condescension, and his boundless love.
There is enough in Jesus to employ the soul in
rapturous -Meditation through a vast otcrnitv.
384 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
his excellence, his goodness, and his love can
never be fathomed. 0, then, keep your eye
fixed on this adorable Saviour, while you so-
journ in this vale of tears ; and in a little while
you shall see him as he is, face to face, and
ascribe to him unceasing praise.
How reviving to the weary Christian traveller,
from the top of Pisgah, is a view of his distant,
happy home in the Heavenly Canaan! His
feelings on this delightful spot are well ex-
pressed in the following beautiful lines :
As when the weary trav'Ijr ganitt,
The height of some o'er-looking Mil,
His heart revives, if Vross the plains
He eyes his home, through distant Btil
" While he surveys the much ioved spot,
He slights the space that lies betweeu ;
His past fatigues are now forgot,
Because his journey's end is seen,
*Thus when the Christian pilgrim views
By faith, his mansion in the skies.
The sight his fainting strength renews,
And wings his speed to, reach the pria*
"The thought of home his spirit cheers,
No more he grieve* for troubles past;
Nor any future trial fears,
So he may safe arrive at last.
" TiB there, he says, I am to dwell
With Jesus, in the realms of day
Then I shall bid my cares farewell,
And k ft will wi -<j my tears away *
WANDERINGS OP A PILGRIM 385
CHAPTER VI.
FEE POSTURE OF THE CHRISTIAN PILGRIM IN COMING
UP FROM THE WILDERNESS OF THIS WORLD.
"Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, lemn-
ng upon her Beloved I" CANT. viii. 5.
" But, firm as on a rock,
The saint on Christ relies ;
He smiles in death's dissolving shock,
And mounts into the skies 1"
THE Jewish church came up from the wilder-
ness, leaning on the Eternal God for her sup-
port. He was the Guide, the Eock, the Salva-
tion of his chosen Israel. He found him in a
desert land, and in the waste, howling wilder-
ness ; he led him about, he instructed him, ha
kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle
stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young,
epreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them,
beareth them on her wings ; so the Lord alone
did lead him, and there was no strange god
with him. (Deu. xxxii. 10-12.) In like manner,
the Christian church in passing through the
deserts of life, has Israel's God for Leader. The
same gracious eye that watched over the wan-
25
386 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
tiering tribes of Israel in their long journey
through the Arabian wilderness, is now watch-
mg with the tenderest care and love over that
i.'hos^n band, who have forsaken all for Christ,
and \vuo are marching through a changing,
terrestrial scene to a higher, brighter, nobler
world on high. The eye of the Lord is upon
thorn that fear him : upon them that hope in his
mercy. (/ J .s. xxxiii. 18.) He that toucheth you,
toucheth the apple of his eye. (Zech. ii. 8.) The
same kind hand that led Israel of old to the
promised land, guides the humble followers of
Jesus to mansions of glory in the skies. The
The Lord of hosts is with us. (P#. xlvi. 7.) The
eternal God is our refuge ; and underneath and
arouryJ us are the Everlasting Arms.
In the 8th chapter of the Song of Solomon
we have the posture of the pilgrim, advancing
to the celestial city, beautifully presented to us:
" Who is this that corneth up from the wilder-
ness, leaning upon her Beloved?" Here we see
the blessed object on which the Christian re-
poses, while passing through this scene of fluc-
tuating and perishing mortality. He reliea
entirely upon Jesus Christ, the Beloved of his
soul. He looks to KO other source for protec-
tion and support He hopes in no other refuge.
His language is, "Lord, to whom shall we go?
thou ha.^t tho we rds of tcrrial lift *
WANDERINGS OF A PILGKIM. 387
We would advert to a few ways in which a
believing soul, in ccming up from the wilder-
ness, rests on Jesus, the sinner's Friend.
1. He rests on him for strength. The poor
pilgrim has no might in himself; but relying
on Christ, he can say with holy Paul, " When
I am weak, then I am strong." What a happy
thing it is to feel our own weakness and nothing-
ness in the sight of Heaven ; and then to cast
ourselves into the strong arms of Jesus those
arms of infinite love, which encircle and sustain
all the righteous. The name of the Lord is
a strong tower ; the righteous runneth into it,
and is safe. (Prov. xviii. 10.) It is by leaning
upon the Beloved of our souls that we are made
strong.
Helpless pilgrim, would you obtain strength
for gaining the joyful heights of Zion ? Then
look to Jesus. Rest in him now ; and in a little
vhile, when you cross into Canaan, you will
rest with him in that happy land, where weari-
ness and sorrow are unknown. Do not trust to
your own strength; but wait upon the Lord,
and you will be upheld with divine grace and
power. Then you will be enabled to press on
ward with the greatest speed and alacrity to the
heavenly mansions. The Lord is the hope of
his people, and the strength of the children of
Israel. (Joel iii 16.) He giveth power to the
388 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
faint; and to them that have no might he in-
creaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint
and be weary, and the young men shall utterly
fall but they that wait upon the Lord shall re-
new their strength ; they shall mount up with
wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be
weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Is.
xl. 29-31.)
" Blest Jesus, to my soul
Thy grace and strength impart ;
Till, clothed in perfect righteousness,
I see thee as thou art
" As I wander through the desert,
Be my constant help and stay:
Shine upon my path, and lead me
To the realms of endless day."
Sappy is he who in the morning of life casts
alj his cae upon Jesus ; who takes the Savaour
as his all and in all as the strength of his
he&jt and his portion forever. He may sweetly
sing as he is tossed upon the surging billows of
life's ocean, " Lord, I will praise thee : though
thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned
away, and thou comfortest me. Behold, God is
my salvation ; I will trust, and not be afraid :
for tl)3 Loi'd Jehovah is my strength and my
Bong he also is become my salvation.
* But Jesus is my living way,
My only trus my hope, my stay;
WANDERINGS OP A PILGRIM. 389
From him, I all my strength receive,
Asd daily on his fulness live."
2. Tlje Christian cleave* to Jesus ly faith.--- He
knows that his Redeemer liveth, and he rests
his whole weight upon him. He lives upon an
unseen Saviour. Our life in the wilderness is a
life of faith. Here, we live by faith and walk
by faith. This will be the manner of our life
until we come to behold our Redeemer face to
face in the Heavenly Jerusalem, and enjoy all
the blessedness of that better country above.
But such a life is one of comfort and joy to the
Christian pilgrjm in this wilderness land. " 1
the blessedness and joy of faith I How does it
bring near, and realize a view of Christ in
glory ! Do we indeed see Christ by the eye of
faith ? Is he the one chief object of our souls ?
Is he precious to us? Verily, then, we shall
count our days on earth toilsome ones, and long
for the full fruition of him in glory. It will be
our great joy to see Him, whose blessed head
was crowned with thorns, and whose lovely face
was spit upon, for us : till then, let us live by
faith in him, constantly crying, 'Come, Lord,
Jesus, come quickly.' "
Though the believer may be walking in
darkness, yet he must still, by faith, lean upon
the Beloved of his soul. Who is among you
that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of
390 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no
light? let him trust in the name of the Lord,
and stay upon his God. (Is. 1. 10.) The path-
way to the celestial mansions is often obscured
by darkness. Here, at best, we see but through
a glass, darkly.*
** Darkness overspreads us here,
But the night wears fast away :
Jacob's star will soon appear,
Leading on eternal day I"
The commission of sin is the great cause of
the Christian being often left to wander in
darkness. " Your iniquities, says the prophet,
" have separated between you and your God,
and your sins have hid his face from you, that
he will not hear." How sad is such a condi-
tion ! When, for a season, the light of God's
countenance is withdrawn from the believer, he
is led to cry with pious Job, " Oh, that I wen>
as in months past, as in the days when God pre-
served me; when his candle shined upon my
bead, and when by his light I walked through
darkness." Behold, I go forward, but he is not
there; and backward, but I cannot perceive
*We are but as wayfaring men, wandering in the lonely
night, who see dimly upon the distant mountain-peak the
inflection of a sun that never rises here, but which si all
never set m the 'new heavens' hereafter." BONAB.
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM. 391
him : ex* the left hand, where he doth woiiv, but
I cannot behold him : he hideth himself on the
right hand, that I cannot see him ;" and with
the Psalmist, " My soul thirsteth 'for God, for
the living God : when shall I come and appear
before God?" And he can also say with the
pious Cowper, who trod a gloomy path to the
realms of day,
"O for a closer walk with God!
A cairn nnd heavenly frame!
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb!"
The duty of the Christian, walking in dark-
ness, is to trust in the name of the Lord, and
stay upon his God. Let him always be found
relying upon his Beloved ; and, though his days
on earth may be darksome ones, yet at the
" evening time" of his pilgrimage " it shall be
light." How sweet will be the light of Heaveo
to such a soul !
" We journey in a vale of tears;
But often from on high
The glorious bow of God appears,
A' A lights up all our sky.
'Then through the breaking clouds of hearuc
Far distant visions come,
And sweetest words of grace are giret.
To cheer tl e pilgrim homo."
892 WAN DE KINGS OF A PILGRIM.
In order to obtain the greatest light and com-
fort now, let the follower of the Lamb be found
diligently improving the means of grace and
I salvation, which God has afforded him. Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all
wisdom ; teaching and admonishing one another
in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, sing-
ing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (Col.
iii. 16.) How often has a beam from Heaven
darted upon the pilgrim while engaged in the
sweet employment of praising God!
"Sometimes a light surprises
The Christian while he sings ;
It is the Lord who rises
With healing in his wings;
When comforts are declining,
He grants the soul again
A season of clear shining,
To cheer it after rain."
3. The believer rests on Jesus for righteousness
and pardon. The language of a renewed soul
is, "In the Lord have I righteousness and
strength." In the Lord shall all the seed of
Israel be justified, and shall glory. (Is. xlv. 25.)
Man had no righteousness of his own to justify
him in sight of Heaven. Not a single soul could
have gained the celestial Paradise if the Son of
Goi had not assumed humanity, and by a life
of obedience aid suffering, fulfilled the violated
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM. 393
law, and brought in an everlasting righteous-
ness. Blessed be God ! the Son of Righteous-
ness has arisen upon our benighted world ; and
Zi oil's pilgrims walk in his light. Christ is the
end of the law for righteousness to every one
that believeth. (Rom. x. 4.) In the 23d chapter
of Jeremiah he is called, "THE LORD OUR
.RIGHTEOUSNESS." Every believer in Christ is
arrayed in that linen, clean and white, which
is the righteousness of saints. His robes are
washed and made white in the blood of the
Lamb.
How happy is the condition of the saint! His
sins are all cancelled by the atoning righteous-
ness of our Lord and Saviour, whose language
is, " I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy trans-
gressions for mine own sake, and will not re-
member thy sins." As the Christian pilgrim
\ourneys towards the realms of peace, leaning
upon Jesus for righteousness and pardon, he can
raise his voice in triumphant songs of praise to
his Bedeemer. This is one of his sweetest songs
in the house of his pilgrimage : " I will greatly
rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in
his God ; for he hath clothed me with the gar-
ments of salvation, he hath covered me with the
robe of righteousness."
He can also look forward to the dark waters
of Jor Ian, and say, with the poet,
394: WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
1 When dcata shall loose the siher cord,
Obedient to thy mandate, Lord,
My soul shall joy and peace possess,
If Jesus be my righteousness."
4. The Christian pilgrim relies on Jesus for
guidance through this vale of tears to the peaceful
shore of a blessed eternity. Thou shalt guide me
with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to
glory. (Ps. Ixxiii. 24.)
"Jesus, on thee our hope depends,
To lead us on to thine abode :
Assured our home will make amends
For all our toil while on the road."
Amidst all the vicissitudes of a sublunary
scene in prosperity and adversity, in health
and sickness, in life and death, the weary pil-
grim reclines on the Almighty arm of Jesus,
and all is well. He knows that what the Saviour
has promised, he will perform; and he reads,
with unspeakable delight, these precious prom-
ises : " I will instruct thee, and teach thee in
the way which thou shalt go : I will guide thee
with mine eye." (Ps. xxxii. 8.) " And the Lord
shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul
in drought, and make fat thy bones : and thou
shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring
of water, whose waters fail not." (Is. Iviii. 11.)
5. The belie.r*r trusts in Christ for eternal life.
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM. 895
Of tiiat little flock who have chosen the better
land for their inheritance, Jesus says, "I will
give unto them eternal life ; and they shall
never perish, neither shall any pluck them out
of my hand ;" and again : " 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."
This is the most precious promised blessing of
the covenant of grace. No created mind can
comprehend the full import of these words
ETERNAL LIFE! They include in them tho
highest bliss of Heaven. Such a life will the
Saviour eventually bestow upon those who now
repose in him. There is a blissful hour fast
approaching, when the weather-beaten pilgrim
shall be raised above the storms of life by the
Saviour's hand. Beyond the swellings of the
Jordan of death there is a peaceful shore, a
happy land, where the pilgrims of Zion shall be
invested with the robes of immortality, and
reign with Christ forever and ever.
Fellow pilgrim, we would earnestly invite you
to come and put your trust in Him who will
sustain you amid the heart-rending trials of this
vale of tears, and who will bring you to a better
land who will bestow upon you an ^minorta!
existence, an unfading wreath of glory in that
world beyond the stars. In all your wanderings
396 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
through this world, cleave closely to Jesua
Live to Him who died for you. O, may the re-
deeming love of the blessed Saviour constrain
you to be wholly his. Live with an eye fixed
upon his cross. Turn to that sacred mount,
and behold a Saviour expiring for your sal
vation ; hear him exclaiming, "It is finished."
'* O the sweet wonders of that cross.
Where Christ, my Saviour, loved and died;
Her noblest life my spirit draws
Prom his dear wounds and bleeding side."
Go, then, and live upon Christ. Live in the
daily contemplation of his glorious atonement,
and in the sincere belief of his all-sufficiency to
save your soul. May your language ever be
that of an enraptured Apostle: "God forbid
that I should glory, save in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is cruci-
fied unto me, and I unto the world."
If you thus live by faith in Christ, and in the
blessed hope of a glorious immortality, you need
not fear, at the close of.' life, to tread along
death's dark vale to cross Jordan's swelling
stream; for in that solemn hour, Jesus will
sustain and comfort you by his presence ; and
God will redeem your soul from the power of
the giave; for he shall receive you.
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM. 397
' O, could I find, from (?ay to day,
A nearness to my God,
Then would my hours glide sweet away,
While leaning on his word.
Lord, I desire with thee to live
Anew from day to day,
lu joyb the world can never pve,
Nor ever take away.
* Blest Jesus, come, and rule my heart,
An<J- make me wholly thine,
TK.U I way r ever mo-re depart,
V r grieve thy love divine.
Thus, till my last, expiring breath,
Thy goodness I'll adorf
And when my frame dissolves in
My fioul ahull lew fche u> >p "
398 WANDERINGS OP A PILGRIM.
CHAPTER VII.
PASSAGE OVER THE JORDAN OF DEATH.
"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with
the : and through the river?, they shall not overflow thee. r
U xliii. 2.
'How sweet the hour of closing oay.
When all is peaceful and serene,
Ar. i when the sun, with cloudless rap.
Sbods mellow lustre o'er the seen**!
" Such i the Christian parting /ionr.
So peacefully he sinks to rest;
Whea faith, endowed from Heaven with power
Sustains and cheers his languid breast.* 1
As the Christian pilgrim is about to leave ihc
wilderness of this world forever, he has to cross
a dark stream. The Jordan of death rolls be-
tween this world and the Celestial Canaan. Be-
fore they obtained fall possession of the prom
ised land, the Israelites had to pass over Jor
dan; so every traveller to the Canaan abovt
must cross over the river of death, before he is
admitted into the courts of paradise, and obtains
possession of the heavenly inheritance.
In tVe 3d chapter of .J >.*! ma w have an in-
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM. 399
Jeresting account of the Israelites' passage ovei
Jordan. We there read as follows: "And it
eame to pass, when the people removed from
their tents to pass over Jordan, and the priests
bearing the ark of the covenant before the peo-
ple, that, as they that bare the ark were come
into Jordan, and the feet of the priests were
lipped in the brim of the water, that the waters
which came down from above stood and rose up
upon a heap ; and the priests that bare the ark
of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry
ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Is-
raelites passed over on dry ground." Now, all
this is typical of the believer's triumphant pas-
sage over the Jordan of death. When the faint-
ing Christian pilgrim comes to the brink of this
last swelling stream, over which all must pass,
Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, who bears
the everlasting covenant on his shoulders, goes
before and rolls back the surging waves, that the
ransomed soul may pass safely over into glorv.
In the prospect of dissolution, the saint may
say, with a Christian poet
" A swelling Jordan rolls between,
A timid jlgrirn I ;
But grace shall order all th scene,
And Christ himself be nigh.
He shall roll back the foaming wave,
Couuauml ^h<e channel dry ;
400 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
No sting hath daath, no vict'ry grave
With Jesus in my eye."
What we design in the few following pages,
is, to comfort the timid Christian in the prospect
of death ; to show that Jesus is with believers
in the dark valley ; to cite some of the last
words of eminent saints, who, sustained and
cheered by the Saviour, have passed over Jordan
with songs of triumph; and to contemplate the
happy termination of the Christian pilgrim's
journey, and his joyful entrance upon the rest
above.
1. The precious religion of Jesus affords the
&iroiyest consolation to the Christian pilyrim in
the view of death. There is no reason why he
should dread its approach. Its terrors are sub-
dued ; its- sting is extractd ; it is a disarmed
enemy. Death cannot harm the child of God ;
but for him to die is gain. To such it is the be-
ginning of everlasting, celestial joys the day-
break of a glorious eternity. It is only a peaceful
slumber in Jesus an entering into the joy of
the Lord. It is but to depart from a land of
sorrow and bereavement, and be with Christ, in
those happy regions where God shall wipe away
all tears from the eye. To the Christian, " death
has changed its nature and its name. Call it no
more death ; it is the sweet sleep of the body,
deposited in its earthly bed, under the eye of
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM. 401
the Kedeemer, till the morning of the resurrec-
tion."
Many pious Christians are held in bondage
by the fear of crossing the river of death.
Their feelings with regard to this subj' ek are
not what they should be. They ought to rise
above the fear of dissolution ; for Christ has de-
livered us from this bondage. He has achieved
this victory by the assumption of humanity
by destroying the works of the devil, and by
passing through the swelling Jordan in out
nature. Forasmuch, then, as the children are
partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same ; that through
death he might destroy him that had the power
of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them, who,
through fear of death, were all their lifetime
subject to bondage. (Heb. ii. 14, 15.) The Sav-
iour has warmed the cold grave for his disci-
ples. He has made an easy way through the
swellings of Jordan for the faithful followers.
Why, then, fellow pilgrim, are you afraid to
cross this stream when the channel is dry?
when you see the footprints of your Kedeemer
in the bottom ? when death is but a sure step
into glory ? Surely there is no ground for dis
may to the believer in that solemn hour which
terminates his earthly pilgrimage; but every
reason r or ] ^yfulness. For we know that if our
26
I
I
402 W AN DE KINGS OP A PILGBIM.
earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved,
we have a building of God, a house not made
with hands eternal in the heavens. (2 Cor. v. 1.)
There is no condemnation to the believer;
for, being justified by faith, he has peace with
God, through our Lord Jesus Christ. He has
peace during his pilgrimage; he has peace in
the hour of death. In Christ, he obtains a com-
plete victory over death and the gloomy grave.
Washed in the atoning blood of the Saviour,
and clad in the snowy robe of his righteous-
ness, he can shout forth joyfully, upon a dying
bed, " O death, where is thy sting? grave,
where is chy victory? The sting of death is
sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But
thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory,
through our Lord Jesus Christ."
It is Jesus, the sinner's Friend, who disarms
death of its terrors who makes a dying bed so
easy to the believer ; hence many a once timid
pilgrim has been able to say in his last mo-
mo^ts, "Is this dying? Is this the enemy that
dismayed me so long, now appearing so harm-
less, and even pleasant ?" 0, how reviving to
tint
Jesus can make a dying bed
Feel soft as downy pillows are,
While on his breast I lean ray head,
And breathe my 1 f out sweetly the^e." -
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM. 403
2. But Christ is with his chosen people in the
midst of Jordan. His precious promise is:
" When thou passest through the waters, I will
be with thee ; and through the rivers, they shaL
not overflow thee." In their passage through
death, the Lord upholds and cheers the souls of
his ransomed ones by the endearing manifesta-
tions of his gracious presence and wonderful
love.
" How happy is the dying saint,
Whose sins are all forgiven ;
With joy he passes Jordan's flood,
t Upheld by hopes of heaven.
"The Saviour, whom he truly loved,
Now cheers him by his grace ;
A glory gilds his dying bed,
And beams upon his face."
Hence, thousands of God's children have been
enabled to exclaim, while descending into the
shadowy vale, " Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no
aevil : for thou art with me : thy rod and thy
staff they comfort me." It was the soul-ravish-
ing manifestation of the Saviour's presence and
love that made the martyrs so joyful at the
stake ; and it is this that has made many a de-
parting saint burst forth with rapturous joy in
such language as :his : " Oh ! why is the chariot
so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of
404 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
his chariot? Come, Lord Jesus; come quickly I"
what amazing mercy does Jesus often be-
stow upon his faithful follower in the darksome
valley, and in the deep Jordan, when the cold
hand of death is upon him 1
"Jesus, the vision of thy face
Hath overpowering charms;
Scarce shall I feel death's cold embrace,
If Christ be in my arms."
3. We now proceed to cite the dying sayings of
a few eminent, pious Christians, who have been
wonderfully sustained by divine grace during their
passage over the Jordan of death.
We mention the following glorious exam-
ples :
Donald Cargill : " This is the most joyful day
that ever I saw in my pilgrimage on earth. My
joy is now begun, which I see shall never be
interrupted."
Luther : " Into thy hands I commit my spirit ,
God of truth, thou hast redeemed me."
Thomas Holland: "Come, come, Lord
Jesus, thou bright Morning Star ! Come, Lord
Jesus, I desire to be dissolved and to be with
thee."
John Flavel: "I know that it will be well
with me."
Alexander Henderson " I am near the end
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM. 405
of my race, hasting home, and there was never
a school-boy more desirous to have the play,
than I am to have leave of this world."
Rev. Thomas Cartwright: "I have found un-
utterable comfort and happiness, and God has
given me a glimpse of heaven."
John Locke : " the depth of the riches of
the goodness and knowledge of God."
Rev. James H. Evans: "In Jesus I stand."
Rev. Augustus M. Toplady : "I believe God
never gave such manifestations of his love to
any creature, and suffered him to live."
John Tennent : " Welcome God and Father
welcome swset Lord Jesus ! Welcome death
welcome eternity. Amen. Lord Jesus, come,
Lord Jesus."
Rev. Samuel Finley : " I see the eternal love
and goodness of God. I sec the love of Jesus.
Oh to be dissolved, and to be with him ! I long
to be clothed with the complete righteousness of
Christ."
Rev. Dr. Waddell : " Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit*
Ralph Ers'nne : " Victory, victory, victory ."
John "Wesley: "The best of all is, God is
with us."
Felix Neff : Adieu, adieu. I am departing
to our Father in perfect peace. Victory, vic-
tory, victory! by Jeeus Christ."
406 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
Dr. Bogue : "I am looking to that compas
eionate Saviour, whose blood cleanseth from all
sin."
Dr. Nevins: "Death Death! Now come,
Lord Jesus Dear Saviour"
To Dr. Waugh one said, "You are now in
the deep Jordan; have you any doubt that
Christ will be with you?" He replied, "Cer-
tainly not I Who else? Who else?"
Kev. D. H. Gillette : " that I had strength
to shout 1 I feel so happy ; I hope soon to be
able." 0, the precious Saviour; what is the
world to me, with all its vanity? Give me
Jesus." "Do not weep for me, I am going
home."
Eev. Dr. Alexander Proudfit:* "When will
this lingering conflict end! Oh for a speedy
and easy transition ! Oh for deliverance from
this corruptible body this body of sin and
death I Come, blessed Jesus, dear Saviour,
come ! come ! I long to depart."
Rev. Dr. John H. Rice : " Mercy is triumph-
ant."
* See an interesting Memoir of this man of God, by John
Forsyth, D. D.
Dr. Proudfit was long a paster of the Associate Reformed
Church of Salem, N. Y. ( and he was one of the moet pious
and faithful etnbassadcrs of the cross that has ohone in the
church
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM. 407
Dr. Kettleton: "It is meet to trust in the
Lord."
Eev. Robt. Anderson : " Peace ! peace I How
gracious God is in so making it all peace I"
Elisha Macurdy : " The Saviour is all m>
comfort."
Thomas Cranfield : " A few more sighs, and
then"
Wilberforce Richmond: "The rest which
Christ gives is sweet."
Mrs. Hannah More: "Jesus is all in alL
God of grace, God of light, God of love : whom
have I in heaven but thee? It is a glorious
thing to die," Her last word was, "Joy."
Mrs. Isabella Graham: "I have no more
doubt of going to my Saviour, than if I were
already in his arms."
Mrs. Louisa Mundy : "The prospect is to ire
any thing but gloomy."
Mrs. Harriet Winslow : " How good is the
Lord!"
Maria Fox : "I am thoroughly comfortable. *
a l know my Saviour loves me, and I am ro
posing in his love."
It. W. Fox : " 1 am very weak, can searcelv
speak, but oh ! happy! happy ! !" "Jesus, Je-
BUS must be first in the heart. He is first in
mine, yes, he is."
" Re\ Thoma c Thomason : " This is a dark
408 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
valley, but there is light at the end." " Thanks
bs unto God for his unspeakable gift." " Lord
Jesus receive my spirit." " Lord give me pa-
tience." "I hope the Lord is coming quickly."
Thus, we have presented a few dying sayings
of several pious Christians who passed the river
of death upheld by divine grace.* Innumer-
able other similar cases might be cited; but
these are sufficient to show with what great
mercy and loving kindness the Lord generally
deals with his people in the hour and article of
death. Although many of God's children have
riot enjoyed such bright, sensible manifestations
of his gracious presence in their dying moments
although they may have gone to heaven
under a cloud, yet their passage o.ver the Jor-
dan of death was as safe as that of the most
joyful believer.
In the matchless dream of Bunyan, we have
an admirable description of the triumphant
* The reader who is desirous of pursuing this subject
more fully, is respectfully referred to our Treatise on " The
Love of Christ," where he will find thirty-one dying testi-
monies of other saints, none of which are included in. the
above; and to that excellent work entitled "The Grace of
Christ," by the Rev. Dr. Plumer one of the most pious and
faithful ministers of Jesus Christ. We would earnestly
commend this volume to all who have felt the sweet COD
ntraining influence of the grace of Christ upon their flouls.
WANDERINGS OF A PILGKIM. 4:09
passage of the pilgrims over Jordan. There
we find that the most timid got over as safely
as the most fearless. The last words of Keady
to-halt were, " Welcome, life." The last words
of Feeble-mind were, " Hold out, faith and pa-
tience." The last words of DesDondenc/v were,
"Farewell, night! welcome, day!" Even his
daughter, Much-afraid, " went through the river
singing ; but no one could understand what she
said."
But how transporting were the last words
of Mr. Standfast ! "This river," said he, "has
been a terror to many ; yea, the thoughts of it
also have often frightened me; but now me-
thinks I stand easy, my foot is fixed upon that
on which the feet of the priests that bare the
ark of the covenant stood while Israel went over
Jordan. (Joshua iii. 17.) The waters indeed are
to the palate bitter, and to the stomach cold;
yet the thoughts of what I am going to, and of
the convoy that waits for me on the other side,
do lie as a glowing coal at rny heart. I see
myself now at the end of my journey ; my toil-
some days are ended. I am going to see that
head which was crowned with thorns, and that
face which was spit upon Tor me. I have for-
merly lived by hearsay and faith ; but now I go
where I shall live by sight, arid shall be with
Him in whose company I delight mysel I
410 WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM.
have loved to hear my Lord spoken of; and
wherever I have seen the print of his shoe in
the earth, there I have coveted to set mj foot
too. His name has been to me as a civet-box ;
yea, sweeter than all perfumes. His voice to
me has been most sweet, and his countenance I
have more desired than they that have most de-
sired the light of the sun. His'words I did use
to gather for my food, and for antidotes against
my faintings. He hath held me, and hath kept
me from mine iniquities ; yea, my steps hath he
strengthened in his way."
4. litre we we the happy termination of the
Christian's pityritnar/e on earth. His sorrowful
days are ended. He has fought the good light;
he has finished his course ; he, has kept the
faith ; he has obtained the victory ; he has
crossed the swellings of Jordan, and gone to re-
ceive an immortal crown.
But who can describe the glories which en-
circle the saint, safely landed on the happy shores
of Immanuel's land ?
"In vain my fancy strives to paint
The moment after death ;
The glories that surround the saints,
When yielding 1 up their breath.
'One gentle sigh their fetters breaks ;
We scarce can say 'They're gone,'
WANDERING a u F A PI L .-GRIM. 411
Before the willing spirit takes
Her mansion near the throne."
Now the Christian traveller has reached hie
everlasting home that house not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens. Now the trying
scenes of earth are passed, and the wanderer,
raised above the storms of life, steps upon an-
other shore \ he enters a land, blooming with
immortality, and illuminated by the effulgent
beams of the Sun of Righteousness. Now he is
ever with the Lord. Now he is seated with
Immanuel on his heavenly throne. Now he is
arr-ayed in the shining robes of glory, and drinks
of the rivers of pleasures at God's right hand.
When we contemplate the past suffering condi-
tion, and the present felicitous state of such a
one, we may truly say : This is he who has
come out of great tribulation, and has washed
his robe and made it white in the blood of the
Lamb. Therefore is he before the throne of
God, and serves him day and night in his tem-
ple. He hall hunger no more, neither thirst
any more ; neither shall the sun light on him,
nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the
midst of the throne shall feed him, and lead him
unto living fountains of waters ; and God shall
wipe away all tears from his eyes. (Rei. vii.,
U 17.)
112 WANDERINGS OF A PILGEIM
happy termination of the pilgrim's journey
on earth I blessed beginning of his felicity
in heaven 1
" Tis past the voyage of life is o'er,
The wanderer hails another clime ;
On perils borne to yonder shore,
He views afar the waves of time.
The storm that muttered o'er his head,
The flame that quivered round his path,
Are sweetly hushed ; the cloud hath fled,
And gone the angry lightning's scath.
Tis past ; and grief is changed to songs
That angel-cordons love to hear*
The harp that to delight belong^
In softest murmur soothes his ear.
for secret sighs that rent his breast
There's peace to seraphs only known, -
The tear that told the heart, oppressed,
la gemmed upon the eternal throne.
Blessed voyager ! how happy thou,
Safe moored within the port of pea*;
Once heir of death immortal now,
Of pain thy toils forever cease.
O may I, too, thus sweetly rise,
Thus tread yon bright empyrean tz-tf
With joy regain those native skies,
Secure at last In love like the-*."
Inixtfii'i lank.
PEE FAG E.
T/i design of this essay is to afford a glimpse of Inv
manue.'s" land; to exhibit some of the powerful attrac-
tions of that world of glory.
To those who are asking the way to Zion, with their
faces thitherward, the author knows that his present
theme will be at all times refreshing.
Future felicity in Heaven is the most cheering subject
that can be presented for the contemplation of the
Christian in this vale of tears. What can be more de-
lightful than for the weary pilgrim who is fist hastening
to mansions in the skies, to meditate on the glories of his
future home? There is much in this subject to animate
us in the thorny pathway to immortality. It affords
hope in life's darkest hour ; it points with its glorious
light to the realms <5f bliss, whers no tear is ever shed
and where no sorrow ever enters.
There is much in Immanuers land to engage our hearts
in holy meditation while we sojourn as strangers and pil-
grims here. The bright mansions of our Fathers house
the many crowns of glory laid up for us there the
joyous rest that remaineth for <Jur weary souis the
sweet employment of the redeemed in glory the en
deared so v et\ in the heavenly home, are all presented to
416
PREFACE.
attract us to Heaven to induce us to set our affections
on things abc ve.
Then, let as fix our hearts more steadfastly upon
heavenly joys upon the glories of Immanuel's land.
In handling this delightful subject, the Word of God
has bsen our guide. To this blessed volume we arc in-
debted for all the revelations that have been made of the
glory of the celestial world. In the Bible we obtain a
glimpse of the glorious land.
May He whose infinite love fitted up those bright
abodes of bliss, bless our present effort to the souls of
men, in leading them to lay up their treasures in Heaven,
and to choose that better part which snail never be taken
away from them.
Heavenly meditation is a delightful work, in which our
souls should be daily engaged, till we enter the portals
of glory, and begin our unending song in the
of God. 1 may that sweet hour soon come.
" ! soon may Heaven unclose to wo I
1 may I soon that glory see I
And rny faint, weary spirit, stand
Within that uar-py, hspry landT
ABGTLB, N. Y., Nov.
IMMANUEFS LAND,
CHAPTER I.
THE PLACE.
I go to prepare a place for you." JOHN xiv 2.
' There is a world of rich delight,
Where warm affections glow;
Where reigns the everlasting light,
Where crystal waters flow.
"There happy saints securely dwell
From Satan's deadly power:
Their bliss no mortal tongue can te.'
'Unfolding ev'ry hour.'
"They dwe! with Jesus, and behold
The beauties of his face;
Secure in the celestial fold,
And crown'd by sovereign grace,
* From earth and all its empty joys^
Blest Jesus, set me free ;
How vain the worldling's gilded
Compared with heav'n and thee
418 IMMANU.EL'S LAND.
*Thou art my hope, my way my bliss,
My glory, and my crown ;
Descend, thou blessed Prince of Peace,
And make my heart thy throne."
llow full of consolation are the Holy Scrip
iures! They animate the Christian in his pil-
grimage on earth ; the}^ point out the way of
salvation through a crucified Jesus; they lead
the rausomed sinner to the gates of the celestial
city, and seat him amidst the untold and incon-
ceivable glories of Paradise. The Scriptures
urge us to set our affections on the glories of the
Christian's eternal home. To those in whose
hearts Christ is formed the hope of glory, how-
beautiful, how tender, how soul-reviving is the
language of inspiration ! It is written : " If ye
then be risen with Christ, seek those things
which are above, where Christ sitteth on the
right hand of God. Set your affection on things
above, not on things on the earth."
In compliance with the sacked command we
shall endeavor, through divine assistance, to
-aiso our thoughts to those scenes of bliss which
,-lie redeemed perpetually enjoy before the throne
of God and the Lamb. We shall contemplate
the place itself, where all the precious flock of
Christ are to dwell through an endless day. In
connection with th!s we shall notice a few of the
powerful attractions ot that blessed abode.
IMMANUAL'S LAND. 419
Heaven is a plase as well as a state. Among
the last words of our Kedeemei\ before he left
this vale of tears, we find this cheering declara-
tion and promise : " I go to prepare a place for
you. And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again, and receive you unto myself;
that where I am ; there ye may be also." Pre-
cious words from a loving Friend ! But follow
Him to the land of promise. Christ has now
gone to prepare that place for us ! what a
place will Jesus prepare for his dear children I
What a place will infinite love make' How
attractive will it be ! Well may we confess our
utter inability to portray the regions of glory,
and exclaim with an enraptured Apostle, "Eye
hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man the thing
which God hath prepared for them that love
him."
Language fails to describe the beauties of Im-
manuel's land, and the human mind to conceive
its blessedness. " All the glories of kingdoms,
all the beauties of gardens, all the splendor of
palaces, yea all the riches of creation, form but
a faint sketch of the sublime original." We
cannot know what heaven really is until we en-
ter into "the holy place" and sit down under
the shadow of the tree of life in the midst of
the Farad i? - of God. Then shall we see in thfi
420 T M M A X 1 T E L,'S LAND.
light of glory that it is a happy region -a bappjr
home indeed.
Heaven is a holy place where the King, eter-
nal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, nn-
veils his glorious perfections in full effulgence.
In that blessed place, the Lamb of God, the
Saviour of sinners, dwells in his glorified hu-
manity. There triumphant saints are gathered
home to Christ. There they are made pillars in
the temple of God and go no more out. There
the host of heaven dwell in the blissful presence
of the King of glory.
This blessed place should attract us. We
should look beyond this fleeting world. We
should endeavor to raise pur eyes to Canaan's
happy shores, and obtain a glimpse of those
everlasting hills whence cometh our help.
Let the Christian ascend the mount of medi-
tation, and, by the help of God's word, survey
those fair regions which lie beyond the Jordan
of death.
My soul, on Pisgah's mount ascend,
Where Moses once admiring stood;
There view the promised land extend
Beyond the swelling Jordan's flood.
' By faith survey the landscape o'er,
Where living waters gsntly flowj
fill earth usurp thy love no more ;
Till all thy kindling passions glow."
i M MANUEL'S LAND.
421
What glorious prospects are presented to the
Christian pilgrim when he, by faith, gazes on
the heights of Mount Zion above! There
stands the New Jerusalem the city of our
God, in dazzling glory. Through its golden
streets the river of life rolls its bright waters ;
and on the banks of that crystal stream, grows
luxuriantly the tree of life, loaded with the
richest fruits. To those fountains of immortal-
ity the Lamb conducts his white-robed followers,
and in tasting of joys the purest and noblest
in feasting on the banquet of redeeming love,
the saints spend the ages of glory.
On those " walls of jasper" and " streets of
gold" the sunbeams are always shining ; but no
earthly sun illuminates the celestial city. The
glory of God enlightens it, and the Lamb is the
light thereof. Our Heavenly Father is there,
and his glory is manifested there. Jesus, our
elder Brother is there, and he is the center of
'heavenly attraction of heavenly glory.
Heaven is a chosen spot selected by Christ
prepared from the foundation of the world
for the eternal abode of the righteous. To the
aeirs of immortality, Christ will at last pro-
lounce this joyful invitation : " Come, ye blessed
of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation of the world."
Thus a pHce is already prepared for the re-
422 IMMANUEL'S LANI>.
deemed a place rendered infinitely attractive
by a display of divine po^er, wisdom, good-
ness, and love. The beauty of heaven should
attract us. It is a place of perpetual loveliness
a kingdom of unfading glory. The earthly
Canaan had many attractions; but what was
that to the heavenly ? It is the Canaan above
that is so glorious. It is that " pleasant land
that goodly heritage" which stretches beyond
the swellings of Jordan, that is so attractive to
the Christian.
Ev-ery child of God longs to reach those
bright shores of a purer clime, where everlast-
ing glory bursts upon the weary pilgrim.
Kespecting the earthly Canaan, Moses' prayer
\vas ; " I pray thee, let me go over and see that
good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly
mountain, and Lebanon." How much more
should every Christian earnestly strive and pray
that " an entrance may be administered unto
him abundantly into the everlasting kingdom
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."
The earthly Paradise was a charming spot,
where grew every tree that was pleasant to the
sight, and good for food the tree of life also
in the midst of the garden ; and whence issued
a crystal stream to water the lovely region, and
to fertilize a blooming world. How delightful
to have dwelt in ^-ich a hotm as this : but Iro
IMMANUEL'S LAND. 423
manual's i^id, the everlasting home ,f God's
children, shines far more glorious than ever
shone the earthly Paradise.
How consoling to think that every child of
God shall finally be brought to that celestial
world, to gaze with wondering eyes on its un-
told glories ! What gratitude do we owe to
God for providing such an inheritance for us.
To Him we should continually raise our hearts
in grateful songs of praise. We should call
upon our souls and all that is within us to bless
his holy name. We should exclaim with the
Apostle, "Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his
abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a
lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead ; to an iaheritance incorruptible
and uridenled, and that fadeth not avvTiy ; re-
served in heaven for you, who are kept by the
power of God through faith unto salvation,
ready to be revealed in the last time."
Under many pleasing views, heaven is attrac-
tively set forth by the sacred writers. To accom-
modate their descriptions to our capacities they
adopt various emblems, drawn from sublunary
scenes. These figurative expressions but faintly
exhibit the glory of the land of immortality.
But they will suffice us for the present. In-
deed, in ou~ r-esent stat? of existcncr we could
424
IMMANUEL'S LAND.
not possibly bear the full effulgence of thai
glory, which will burst upon the ransomed soul
when mortality is swallowed up of life.
1. Heaven is represented as a country " a
better country." Of the Patriarchs it is said
that they " sought o. country ;" that the} 7 " " de-
sired a better country, that is, an heavenly;
wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their
God; for he hath prepared for them a city."
Heaven is that "pleasant land" to which fill
Christian pilgrims are travelling. We are now
in a wilderness world, where the winds of ad-
versity blow upon us, and the tempests of sor-
row sweep along our pathway. But this is not
our home. Our march is heavenward to the
glorious land. Guided by the Captain of our
salvation we are coming up from the wilderness,
and our feet shall soon stand on the glorious
mount of God. Our conversation is in heaven ;
our future inheritance lies there ; we are look-
ing on it as our eternal home. No wonder,
then, that it should appear so attractive in our
eyes, No wonder that we should long to be-
hold the good land which is afar off. All true
believers desire that "better country." They
feel that they are strangers and pilgrims here ;
they look beyond this world to those regions of
perpetual delight where they expect to spend
countless ages. The hope of salvation animates
IMMANUEL'S LAND. 425
Jiem in every earthly trial, and the promises
of God's word elevate their view above a
Grumbling world. Their hearts oveiflow with
joy unspeakable, and full of glory, when they
are assured of the blessed truth that their eyes
see the King of heaven in his beauty, and the
celestial Canaan in its glory.
Heaven is a promised land. " We are jour-
neying unto the place of whieh the Lord, said, I
will give you." God's word is true. Every
saint that has lived on earth shall be brought to
this heavenly world, where Jesus reigns in all
his glory. Cheer up, then, ye drooping saints.
View that happy world where your Saviour
reigns, and where you, also, are shortly to reign
with him.
2. Heaven is described as a glorious city a
city that hath foundations, whose builder and
maker is God. But who can perfectly paint the
splendor of that city, whose light is the glory of
God? "Beautiful for situation, the joy of the
whole earth is Mount Zion."
Where will you begin to enumerate the at-
tractions of that celestial city the abode of the
redeemed ? u Glorious things are spoken of
thee, O city of God." We can gain but a glimpse
of its glories now, in the light of God's word ;
but they will be seen and told through all eter-
nity. With the eye of faith let us now view
426 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
the city of our God the New Jerusalem, set
on Zion's holy hill. How dazzling does it ap-
pear. Its walls of jasper its gates of pearls
its streets of gold the city itself " of pure gold
; kg unto clear glass."
"Lol yonder, rising on the eye,
Built, on eternal mountains high,
The city of the mighty God,
Where men redeem'd have their abode.
"See, how the many-color'd rays
Of buniish'd gold, and jewels blaze;
Which, sweeter far than earthly morn,
The gates, and walls, and tow'rs adorn,
" How broad and pure the golden street,
Where crowding saints arid angels meet!
No lattice there, but full, and bright,
And near, the uncreated light.
** The glory of the God of grace,
Refulgent in the Saviour's face ;
In mild, but awful splendor shown,
Upon the highest, brightest throne.
" Nor circling sun illumes the day,
Nor changeful moon-beams nightly play
No sublunary joys impart
Their pleasure to the Christian's heart.
'He needs them not: Shechinah poure
A flood of light from all his stoies ;
There, in the blaze of endless day,
The puohas'd nations gladly etra^ *
IMMANUEL'S LAND. 427
"When the splendor of " that gres:, city, the
holy Jerusalem," was manifested to the beloved
John, rapt in heavenly vision on the isle of
Patmos, he describes it as " having the glory of
God : and her light was like into a stone most
precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crys-
tal. And the building of the wall of it was of
jasper ; and the city was pure gold, like unf*
clear glass. And the twelve gates were twelve
pearls; every several gate was of one pearl:
and the street of the city was pure gold, as it
were transparent glass." How brightly shines
the heavenly Jerusalem, irradiated by the glory
of God ! No city on earth ever shone like this.
Palmyra, Nineveh, and Babylon, " the glory of
kingdoms," were once splendid cities ; but that
City of Light, whose foundations were laid be
fore earth rose from chaos ; whose builder and
maker is God himself, far outshines them all in
unutterable splendor. Yes, and when all earthly
cities shall have been buried in everlasting ruin
when a terrestrial globe shall have passed
away in one awful conflagration, the celestial
city of Zion shall shine in eternal glory, while
ransomed sinners walk in golden streets.
Let the Christian pilgrim who has set out
from the city of Destruction to the ci<y of Im-
manuel, often contemplate his glorious home.
Attracted ly its p"ory t let, him look into it, and
428 IMMANUELS LAND.
long to be among its shining inhabitants, who
sound on golden harps the praises of redeeming
love. Standing at the gates of the celestial city,
let him gaze, with Bunyan, on its splendor, as
those pearly gates are opened wide to admit the
transfigured pilgrims. " Now just as the gates
were opened to let in the men, I looked in after
them, and behold the city shone like the sun ;
the streets, also, were paved with gold, and in
them walked many men with crowns on their
heads, palms in their hands, and golden harps
to sing praises withal. There were, also, of
them that had wings ; and they answered one
another without intermission, saying, Holy, holy,
holy is the Lord. And after that, they shut up
the gates ; which, when I had seen, I wished
myself among them."
Of that city of glory, John declares : " saw
no temple therein : for the Lord God Almighty
and the Lamb are the temple of it." Theie was
a temple in the earthly Jerusalem, but there is
none in the heavenly. Nor is any required
there. Sweet, intimate communion with God
and the Lamb will be enjoyed there without a
medium. The glorious manifestation of the di-
vine presence will forever dispense with the use
of all means of communication between God and
his people. Here we worship Him in earthly
temples, by the means which he has appointed ;
IMMANU'EL'S LAND. 429
but there, we shall dwell in his immediate pres-
ence, and drink at the Fountain of Life.
The 'celestial city is so gloriously illuminated
by the effulgence of the Deity that it has no need
of a natural luminary to shine in it. " And the
city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon,
to shine in it ; for the glory of God did lighten
it, and the lamb is the light thereof." The di-
vine presence sheds such a radiance there that
it lights up all heaven in everlasting glory.
Jesus, the Sun of Eighteousness, shines there ;
and in his light we shall see light. Truly light
is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes
to behold the sun ; but no light is so sweet
as this, and no sun so pleasant to behold as the
Sun of Kighteousness shining in his meridian
splendor.
In that celestial city, there shall be no night.
Eternal day beams with unclouded splendor in
the city of Immanuel. No natural or moral
darkness si All ever overspread the landscape of
glory. "Thy sun shall no more go dcwn, nei-
ther shall thy moon withdraw itself; for the
Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the
days of thy mourning shall be ended."
Hasten on, sweet day, when thy glories
shall dawn upon my long- ng soul.
430 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
Eternal day arise and shine ;
Thy floods of glory roll,
With all these holyjoya of thine
Upon tny weary soul
Then shall I dwell in the light of GocTa .o
teuance, behold the beauties of his face, and
worship him forever and ever.
But look again at that celestial city. Eman-
ating from God's eternal throne, the river of life
flows through its midst. " And he showed me
a pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeding out of the throne of God and the
Lamb." The heavenly Jerusalem is enriched
with "the river of God, which is full of water."
This is the stream that makes Immanuers land
to bloom with immortal joys. This is the river
of pleasure the river, whose streams shall make
glad the city of God, the holy place of the taber-
nacle of the most High." There, the inhabit-
ants of Zion may bathe in the pure fountains of
immortality "fast by the throne of God," and
drink freely of those swelling streams of purest
joy which flow through the realms of glory.
Through verdant vales and flow'ry meado^
His streams the crystal river leads;
From life's eternal throne it strays.
And swelling tides of joy conveys.
In the city of our God is the tree of life, "*f
IMMANUEL'S LAND.
431
whose delicious fruit the saints eat, .md under
whose ambrosial bowers, they dwell ;.n eternal
repose, and celestial bliss. " In the midst of the
Street of it, and on either side of the river, was
there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner
of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month ;
and the leaves of the tree were for the healing
of the nations.' 1
There is much in the heavenly Jerusalem to
attract you many crowns of ^lory many man-
sions of bliss many songs of praise- much that
the eye has never seen, the ear never heard, nor
the human mind never conceived. Strive, then,
to obtain an interest in Jesus, that you may
"have right to the tree of life, and may enter in
through the gates into the city.' 1 How cheering
is the promise of the Saviour; "To him that
overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life,
which is in the midst of the Paradise of God !"
Then fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on
eternal life, and you will come off more than a
conqueror through Him that loved you and
gave himself for you.
o. Heaven is represented as a glorious build-
ing -the building of God the future happy
home of the Christian. "For we know," says
the Apostle, "that if our earthly house of this
tabernacle were dissolved, we have a luildug
nf God an house not made with hands, eternal
432 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
in the heavens." Confident of reaching this
blessed home, the believer is enabled to exclaim
with the Psalmist, " Surely, goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days of my life ; and I
trill dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
fleaven is the eternal Father's house, in which
are many mansions the home of the redeemed,
where congregated nations sing the song of
Moses and the Lamb.
When Christ would comfort his sorrowful
disciples, he sets forth heaven under the endear-
ing emblem of a home a Father's house,
adorned with many spacious mansions. "In
my Father's house," says the Saviour, "are
many mansions; if it were not so, I would
have told you."
There is something peculiarly attractive in
tnis description of heaven. How sweet is even
an earthly home, but how endeared wilI A be that
home above, where we shall meet with our
Heavenly Father with our elder Brother
with our dear Christian friends, who went to
jdory before us with the whole household of
faith ! In that house not made with hands,
there are "many mansions" for our entertain-
ment. There is ample room and provision for
all God's children in the upper sanctuary
every thing tc render them happy, unspeak-
ably happy to all eternity.
LAND. 433
May tlie reader so live hi the faith of the
gospel, that when his clayey tabernacle is ready
to crumble into dust, his immortal spirit, guided
by the angels of God, may take its joyful flight
to the mansions of glory, and dwell forev/r r
&ose realms of bliss,
" Where beauty smiles eternally,
^nd pleasure novr ^io*."
28
434 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
CHAPTER II.
THE BLESSEDNESS.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 7 *
Matt v. 8.
"At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
-Pa xvi. 1.
"In thoe blest regions ot
Where Jesus is unveil'd to sight,
No mortal tongue can e'er express
The ransom'd sinner's blessedness."
THE blessedness of heaven is a powerful at-
traction to draw souls to it. AIM* u \s presented
in all its charms in the world of God presented
to you to me. Then let us seek it. If we are
(rue believers in Jesus, we shall soon enjoy all
that unspeakable blessedness which the Bible
nowprese nts to the Christian's view. The bless-
edness of the redeemed in glory will consist in
the exemption from all evil, and in the enjoy-
ment of all good. There will be nothing to
hurt or destroy in all God's holy mountain.
All will be blessed there in the possession of the
greatest .good. Every enjoyment in heaven,
will consp re to in^ease and perpetuate the blestv
IM MANUEL'S LAND. 435
edness of the saints in light. Those happy
souls whose robes have been washed white in
the blood of Immanuel. and who are presented
faultless before the throne of God, " shall hunger
no more, neither thirst any more , neither shall
the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the
Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall
feed them, and shall lead them unto living foun-
tains of waters; and God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes."
The redeemed in glory shall be placed far
above the reach of a sinful world, and shall
dwell securely in heavenly bliss. There, they
shall flourish in our God's holy place. There,
they shaU be crowned with blessedness, and
glory and immortality. How attractive doe?
the blessedness of heaven appear, as presented
in the Holy Scriptures I No heart can conceive
it no tongue can express it. It is a boundless
ocean of eternal delights. Here, the Christian
tastes but drops from the ocean above ; but soon
he shall stand on the " crystal sea of glass" be-
fore the throne, and drink endless pleasures in.
Blessed Jesus! Prepare us all for serving
thee in mansions above for participating in
those joys which are in thy presence in those
pleasures which are at thy right hand forever,
" In thy presence is fulness of joy ; at thy right
hand there are pleasures for evermore."
436 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
In attempting to speak of the blessedness oi
heaven, we may, in the first place, conceive of it
negatively. " Not only what is in heaven should
attract us to it, but what is not there."* And
do you ask what is not there? We answer,
there is no sin no sorrow no tears no pain
no disease no death, in heaven.
1. No sin there. It reigns in this world ; but
in heaven its very existence will be eradicated.
There the children of God shall never complain
of a body of sin and death. Those immortal
forms that surround the throne of God are <ill
sinless beings. Sin will never shed its baneful
influence in the Paradise above. Satan can find
no admittance there. None of his fiery darts
will be cast in glory.
2. No sorrow there. In heaven there will be
no more "sorrow." It is here within us all
around us. Who has not felt the withering
touch of sorrow? This is a world of sorrow.
Here, one wave of trouble after another sweeps
over us until we close our eyes in death. " In
the world," says the Saviour, "ye shall have
tribulation." It is expressly declared, that *' we
must through much tribulation enter intc the
kingdom of God." How often have we tasted
this biyter fruit of sin! How cfteii hsve cur
* Nevias
IMMANUEL'S LAND.
437
hopes been blasted; our expectations disap-
pointed I How often have we been called to
mo.irn the loss of near and dear relatives 1 Here
our hearts are almost constantly filled with
some kind of sorrow. But, dear fellow-pilgrim,
cheer up. There lies a bright prospect before
us. Has not your eye caught a glimpse of
yonder golden plains beyond the grave, where
no sorrow ever comes, and where you hope to
dwell with Jesus, in endless glory ? Then go
on your way rejoicing in tribulation. Heaven
will make amends for all your momentary sor-
row here. You will soon forget all sublunary
grief in that land of blessedness, where sorrow
is no more.
3. No tears there. " God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes." No expression of grief
is there no "crying" no mourning. There
" sorrow and mourning shall flee away." Hap-
py world, where all the redeemed are, with
cheerful countenances, rejoicing in God treir
Saviour! There no tears bedew the cheek.
What a striking contrast is there between hea-
ven and earth in this respect. This world, with
all its fancied happiness, is nothing in reality
but a vale of tears ; and you have not to live
many years before you experience the sad truth
of this. Here sin has entered, and sorrow has
entered, and *oars flow -lut in the celestial Je-
438 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
rusalem "the voice of weeping shall be no
more heard, nor the voice of crying." There,
dear Christian, " thou shalt weep no more ; the
days of thy mourning shall be ended." Here
the people of God are called to shed many tears.
" Thou feedest them with the bread of tears, and
givest them tears to drink in great measure."
How consoling, in such a vale of tears as this,
to think of heaven ! How attractive does that
joyful land appear to the mourning Christian!
He knows that God will there gently wipe away
all his tears. The tears of the righteous will
soon cease to flow. In a little while "the Lord
God will wipe away tears from off all faces." 0,
what a happy thought, to think that it is God
himself who will wipe away every tear of sor-
row in glory I Surely the Christian ought to
rejoice now.
4. In heaven there will be no pain nor dis
ease. "Neither shall there be any more pain;
for the former things are passed away." Of that
celestial world, " the inhabitants shall not say, I
am sick." Pain and disease ravage this fallen
world. " The whole creation groaneth and
travaileth in pain together." Here even the
righteous u is chastened also with pain upon hia
bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong
pain;" bit there God will remove from him all
pain and sickness forever. Here the children
i M MANUEL'S LAND.
439
of Gad are often laid on Lods of affiiotk n 7 and
"wearisome nights are appointed unto them;"
there blooming health shall cheer their souls,
and they shall experience pain .and disease no
more. What a great blessing to be eternally
free from all pain and sickness! To the sons
and daughters of affliction how attractive should
that world appear, where a kind Heavenly
Physician not only wipes away every tear, but
heals all diseases and frees from all pain ! " Bless
the Lord, rny soul, and forget not all his
benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities;
who healeth all thy diseases I"
6. Heaven is a land of immortality. Jesus
Christ hath abolished death, and brought life
and immortality to light through the gospel.
In those happy regions beyond Jordan's stream
there is no death. "And there shall be nc
more death." Immortal life will be enjoyed by
all the blessed inhabitants of Immanuel's land.
How animating in a dying world like this, to
think of a glorious immortality ! How unlike
this land of death is heaven I There all is
blooming immortality. Here, in the midst of
life we are in death ; we are surrounded with
the dying and the dead t thousands fall within
our view. The young, the beautiful and the
vigorous, are not exempted from the painful
stroke of the kfng ;>f terrors. There death it-
440 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
self is swallowed up in victory. Here the dear-
est ties that bind us to earth are cut asunder.
Death does not eyon spare our nearest and dear
est relatives. His icy hand is often stretched
over the face of a beloved wife an affectionate
husband a smiling babe a tender son or
daughter a loving sister or brother a dear
parent. But in heaven, death shall strike its
darts no more. How reviving to the Christian
who is mourning the loss of pious relatives, to
think that in those joyful regions of bliss, he
shall meet his dear departed friends who now
sleep in Jesus. Then shall we ever be with
the Lord in his temple of glory, vhere parting
is no more, and where there is no more painful
separation of kindred souls in death.
Let the mourning Christian take comfort
from this blessed hope. The last enemy will
soon be destroyed. God is just ready to say of
his people, " I will ransom them from the power
of the grave; I will redeem them from death :"
and of death, "0 death, I will be thy plague!
grave, I will be thy destruction!" "This
corruptible must " soon " put on ^corruption.
and this mortal must put on im r r ^taMty : then
shall be brought to pass the GP,V->. r-hat is writ-
ten, Death is swallowed v? V victory." As
we enter the portals r/ g>/rj j?A place our feet
or. the blessed shores o' -Jiimortal'ty, WP may
IMMANUEL'S LAND.
triumphantly exclaim, " death, where is thy
Bting ! grave, where is thy victory 1" "Arid
there shall be no more death."
We come now to notice the positive blessed-
ness of heaven. And what is there that is so
attractive? In heaven, there is not only the
absence of all evil, but the actual enjoyment of
the highest good of blessedness unspeakable.
There is the tree of life in the midst f the
Paradise the hidden manna fulness of joy
rivers of pleasures crowns of glory that fade
not away eternal life society the most pure,
perfect and lovely sweet communion with God
the glorious presence of the blessed Saviour.
And tbis is enough enough to satisfy the most
capacious desire.
What heart can conceive, or what tongue can
describe, the blessedness contained in this single
verse of Scripture : " Therefore are they before
the throne of God, and serve him day and
night in his temple : and he that sitteth on the
throne shall dwell among them." This blessed-
ness awaits all tbe children of God. Happy
thought ! In heaven the saints will be perfectly
blessed, in the full enjoyment of God through
all eternity. The eternal God will be the inex-
haustible source of all their blessedness. From
the fountain of Infinite Love they will derive
the purest bliss Ir the ocean of divine blessed-
442 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
ness and glory, they shall bathe forever and ever,
The blessed less of the saints will be derived
directly from God, the fountain of all goodness.
He will supply the wants of all his people. He
\vill crown their heads with immortal bliss.
What blessedness must fill the ransomed soul
when it is brought to dwell in the presence of
Him, " who only hath immortality, dwelling in
that light which no man can approach unto;
whom no man hath seen, nor can see : to whom
be honor and power everlasting. Amen.' 1 O, to
bask in the full beams of His light, whose glory
kindles up the realms above in inconceivable
spkndor! What must those blessings be which
a God of love will confer upon his blood-bought
flock 1 How innumerable, how invaluable, how
soul-ravishing will they be! In heaven, the
blessedness of the saints will flow in an eternal
stream from God, their Saviour. There, every
soul will be filled with all the fulness of God.
0, what rivers of blessedness will flow from
the Eternal Fountain !
The redeemed will enjoy all that unspeakable
blessedness, arising from a display of the divine
glory from sweet, unrestrained intercourse
with God from the manifestation of a Sav-
iour's love from the enjoy merit of that love
through eternity. What more does an immor-
tal soul d os're wha more can it enjoy ?
IMMANUEL'S LAND.
443
This singie attraction, the enjoyment of God
in .Christ through a blessed eternity, should draw
every soul to glory. Such a blessedness, eternity
alone can unfold. This blessing will enrich
your soul to all eternity.
If you have found the " pearl of great price,"
all the bliss of heaven will be yours the pleas-
ures at God's right hand fulness of joy in his
presence a right to the tree of life ; in a word,
the inheritance of all things. " He that over-
cometh shall inherit all things; and 1 will be
his God, and he shall be my son." " All things
are yours ; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas,
or the world, or life, or death, or things present,
or things to come; all are yours, and ye are
Christ's, and Christ is God's."
Blessed with the presence of Christ, the saints
shall enjoy that glorious rest which remained
for them. Wearing the crowns of glory which
a Saviour's love placed upon their brow, they
shall participate in the ecstatic joys of heaven.
They shall eat of the tree of life, whicli is in
the midst of the Paradise of God. Yes,
The tree of life shall bless their sight.
With golden fruit their taste delight
Beneath its green and spreading bongha,
The harp shall lull them to repose ;
And in seraphic pleasures deep,
Thei wwe -ful senses ever steen
444 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
They snail eat of the hidden manna, and re-
ceive a white stone ; and in the stone a new
name written, which no man knoweth, saving
he that receiveth it. They shall be clothed with
white raiment, and their names shall not be
blotted out of the book of life. They will en-
compass the throne of God with everlasting
songs of praise ; they shall even sit with Christ
on his throne. " To him that overcometh will
I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I
also overcame, and am set down with my Father
in his throne."
The Lamb in the midst of the throne, is
the immediate source of heaven's blessedness.
Christ will ever remain the glorious Head of
his living members his mystical tody, the
church. He will supply their every want. He
will provide for them rich blessings the ines-
timable blessings of eternal salvation. " They
shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall
be in all high places. They shall not hunger or
thirst ; neither shall the heat nor sun smite
them : for he that hath mercy on them shall
lead them, even by the springs- of vater shall he
guide them."
The Lamb not only feeds them with heaven's
richest fruits, but also guides them to fountains
of bliss springs of living water. " The Lamb
whirh is in the midst of the throne, shall feed
IMMANUEL'S LAND. 445
them, and shall lead them unto living fountains
of waters." Blessed lot of the righteous!
Happy is that people, that is in such a case ; yea,
happy is that people whose God is the Lord!
In contemplating such blessedness, well may
we exclaim with the inspired Penman, " Happy
art thou, Israel: who is like nnto thee,
people, saved by the Lord, the shield of thy
help, and who is the sword of thy excellency ?"
Heaven is a place of eternal blessedness. No
change from happiness to misery is experienced
there. None of the vicissitudes of earth shall
be there. One perpetual scene of bliss crowns
all. One wide, unbounded field of expanding
blessedness spreads away, far away before every
soul clad in glory.
In heaven, there will be an eternal progress-
ion in knowledge and happiness. Every new
discovery of the way? and works of the Al-
mighty, will roll new tide," of glory and blessed-
ness around the ransomed soul. 0, what pow-
erful attractions are these ! Should they not
draw you to glory ? What ars all the pleasures
of a dying world compared with one hour's en-
joyment of heavenly blessedness ? How worth-
less ! May you possess more permanent joys
than those of earth. May it be your happiness
to reign with Christ forever and ever. May
God grant that every reader of this little volume
(
V
IMMANUEL'S LAND.
may be brought to enjoy that blessedness which
is reserved for the righteous, in another and a
better world ; and to his glorious name be ever
jasfcing praise. Amen.
IMMANUAL'S LAND.
447
CHAPTER III,
THE JOY.
'In thy presence is fulness of joy." PSALM xvi. II
"There, in thy blissful presence, reigns
Immortal joy serene ;
No wintry storms are heard to roar,
Nor desolation seen.
Around thee flow unmix'd delights,
Like rivers deep and wide ;
While from the ocean of thy love,
Proceeds an endless tide.
"Thou of all joy the centre art ;
Oh ! never from my soul depart ;
Blest Jesus ! let thy saving love,
Like dew, drop gently from above."
WHEN the Christian has passed the vale of
life, and done with mortal care and grief, the
Saviour will welcome him home to glory with
this joyful invitation, " Enter thou into the joy
of thy Lord." Then begins the heavenly joy of
the believer. He rests with Jesus ; he enters
into the joy of his Lord. And what is this joy ?
What is there about it that is so attractive ? It
is a joj rnspeaka^!e and full of glorv The
448 IMMANUEL'S LANT>.
pen cannot describe it, nor the tongue declare
it. It is the joy of being with Christ- -the joy
of possessing the heavenly inheritance a ful-
ness of joy. The joy of heaven is full, satisfying,
and eternal. It is ecstatic joy. It transports the
ransomed soul with ineffable delights.
This joy is to be found in the blissful presence
of Christ. Blessed Jesus ! Thou art the source
and centre of heavenly joy. Enable me to fix
my heart upon thee. Bestow upon me, thy un-
worthy servant, the joys of thy salvation. Let
me not wander one moment from the path of
life. Guide me safely through the wilderness
over Jordan till, landed on Canaan's happy
shores, I see thee face to face, and,, in thy pres-
ence, taste, through eternal ages, the joys of a
redeemed soul.
" In thy presence," cries the Psalmist, u is
fulness of joy." There is an abundance to fill
every soul. There will be no want of joy in
heaven. The saints will always " be joyful in
glory."
How ravishing will be the joys of the re-
deemed in the mansions of glory 1 What inef-
fable joy will fill the soul of the believer, when
he sits down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
in the kingdom of God when he reigns with
Immanuel on his throne when he views all
heaven's bliss as Ms Amidst such joys as
IMMANUEL'S LAND. 449
these, surely his enraptured soui must be lost in
wonder, love, and praise.
But the joy of the glorified saint in the pres-
ence of Christ is beyond human comprehension
or knowledge.
"His joys are all alike unknown,
As, seated on Im man u el's throne,
He drinks the living streams of bliss
And views all heaven's joys as his."
Let us contemplate the joy of the saint who
is presented faultless before the presence of God.
There is a glorious day approaching, when " the
redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come
with singing unto Zion ; and everlasting joy
shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain
gladness and joy ; and sorrow and mourning
shall flee away." Then shall ransomed sinners
begin their songs of joyfulness in the celestial
Zion. Then shall all their tears be wiped away,
and eternal joy and gladness fill their happy
souls.
There are three sources from which joy will
be brought to the saint in bis glorified and ex-
alted state ; a contemplation of the past, the
present, and the future.
1. When he arrives at the realms of glory
and looks back upon his past sufferings, how
will joy arise in his heart "W'th pleasure will
29<
450 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
he contemplate the way through which the Lord
has led him. Now he sees that all his earthly
trials, and afflictions, and sorrows, and tears have
come to an end. He has got safely over the
tempestuous ocean of life and reached the bless-
ed haven of Immanuel's land. This reflection
will afford him unspeakable joy. He views
with a joyful heart all the former dealings of
Grod with his soul. Though, during his pil
grimage on earth, he was often ready to exclaim
with the afflicted Patriarch when contemplating
the providences of God with regard to himself,
"All these things are against me ;" yet now ho
sees that " all things" have worked together for
his good. In heaven, Christ will make every
thing plain to the believer. "What I do tliou
knowest not now," says the Saviour, but thou
shalt know hereafter." The blessed " hereafter' 1
has come when the Christian will know why so
many calamities befel him on earth ; why so
many afflictions were sent upon him, why so
many sorrows were strewed around his pathway
to immortal bliss. All was fitting him for glory.
Every trial, every affliction was lifting him
higher towards heaven. Now, that he has reach-
ed the blessed shores of glory, he will joyfully
exclaim, in the view of the past, " 0, Lord, thou
hast led me forth by the right way."
2. Look again at the joy of the >alnt with
IMMANUEL'S LAND. 451
Christ as he views his present glorious state.
How will his heart overflow with seraphic joy
and love, when he sees his Eedeemer, who is to
him the most attractive of all objects, and the
blessed source of his joys ! If, not having seen,
he loves him, and in him, though now he sees
him. not, yet believing, he rejoices with joy un-
speakable and full of glory, what will be the
joy when he shall see him as he is, face to face,
in the heavenly kingdom, in all his matchless
beauty ! Of this joy we can know but little. It
passeth human thought. All the preciousness
and loveliness of the Saviour will then appear
to view. This will fill the soul with unutter-
able joy. The enraptured saint will be enabled
to exclaim without fear or hesitation, " My Be-
loved is mine and I am His ; He is the chief
among ten thousand and altogether lovely."
The presence of the Saviour will be a source of
unspeakable joy to the Christian. Nothing will
cause the heart to rejoice more than this blissful
sight of a glorified Kedeemer. Christ cheered
his sorrowful disciples with this blessed hope.
"I will see you again," says he, "and your
heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh
from you." From the blessed Jesus will ema-
nate swelling streams of joy to refresh and in-
vigorate the people of God. How sweet is this
thought Has heavenly joy any attractions
452 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
for my readers? Is not this single considera-
tion the joy arising from a sight of Christ
and his glory, sufficient to lead them to inquire
the way to Zion? What more powerful at
traction could present itself, to allure sinners to
glory ? But there are innumerable rivulets of
joy that issue from this fountain. The pres
ence and society of the glorious Saviour is a
boundless ocean of joy; while the enjoyment of
heavenly bliss, the communion with saints and
angels, are the streams of pleasure that are lost
in this fathomless abyss. As the saint views his
present condition, he sees that it is one of per-
fect blessedness. What emotions of joy must
thrill through his soul when he sees himself en-
circled with divine glory ; when he views all the
present bliss of heaven as his ; when he is made
a partaker of all the soul-ravishing enjoyments
and delights of paradise !
3. But this is not all. As he views the future,
one perpetual scene of blessedness lies before
him. Ages of glory in endless succession, in
which he is to possess fulness of joy in the pres-
ence of God, roll away before his blissful imagi-
nation. What ineffable joy must spring up in
his heart as he contemplates eternal bliss! He
sees before him an ocean of glory without a
shore, and without a storm. An eternity of
glory must surely fil lis soul with inexpressible
IMMANUEL'S LAND. 453
joy. "With the greatest delight will ne meditate
on eternity. This is the crowning glory of the
whole. The anticipation of the future will af-
ford the saint present felicity ; and as he sails
over the boundless ocean he will rejoice with
joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Concerning his people, a God of infinite love
has said, "Everlasting joy shall be unto them."
The joys of the redeemed in glory have no
end. Those happy souls before the throne of
God fear no termination to their heavenly feli-
city. Well may the poet exclaim :
" Could you, so rich in rapture, fear an end- ;
That ghastly thought would drink up all your joy,
And quite unparadise the realms of light."
Thus we have briefly noticed heavenly joy ,
but the half is not told. O, that every reader
may be attracted by those unspeakable joys
which are in the presence of God. Let him con-
template these joys, let him aniicipate them, and
he will look beyond the fleeting delights of an
evil world to those pleasures which are at God's
right hand forever. Earth will then lose its at-
tractions, and heaven be ever in his eye.
Let the Christian take courage in his pilgrim-
age ; let the joy of the Lord be his strength.
Let him remember, that though this world is a
aigb-' of weeping, yet there is a bright morning
454 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
coining a morning of everlasting jo j. "Weep
ing may endure for a night, but joy cometh in
the morning." Let the weeping Christian re-
member that he will soon reap in joy that he
shall joy in God, his unfailing portion through
a glorious eternity. "They that sow IL tears
shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weep-
eth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come
again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with
him."
May a bleeding Saviour be your all and in
all ; and when his glory shall be revealed, may
you, among countless millions, be one who shall
be glad also with exceeding joy.
Best in Jesus, and in a little while all will be
well.
"Now unto him that is able to keep you
from falling, and to present you faultless before
the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and
majesty, dominioQ and power, both now and
ever. Amen."
" Joy is a fruit that will not grow
In nature's barren soil ;
All we boast till Christ we know.
Is vanity and toil.
But wh,u-e the Lord has planted graca,
And rcft.'i Lin florifts known
IMMANUEL'S LAND.
455
There fruits of heavenly joy and peace
Are found, and there alone.
A bleeding Saviour seen by faith,
A sense of pard'ning love ;
A hope that triumphs over death,
Give joys like those abovo.
To take a glimpse within the veil,
To know that God is mine;
Aie springs of joy that aever fail,
Unspeakable ! divine I
These are the joys which satisfy,
And sanctify the mind ;
Which make the spirit mount on
And leave the world behind.
No more, believers, mourn your
But if you are the Lord's ;
?,aaign to them that know him n
joys ft? efti-th afford*,*
456 I M M A N U E L ' S L AND.
CHAPTER IV
THE GLORY.
"The glory which thou gavest me, 1 :T given theffi
IOHN xvil 22.
* The ransooi'd soul, in glory eiuu,
Shines brighter than meridian sun
The weary pilgrim, now so sad,
There finds his toilsome journey
* Cheer up, ye saints, oppress'd with gii.J,
With jcy expand your drooping wing ;
Jesus affords the kind relief;
Jesus extracts the envenom'd sting.
Soon will you reach the blest abode,
Whe/e happy pilgrims ever reign ;
Soon shall you see the face of God,
And all the bliss of heaven obtain *
Heaven is a glorious place. Its glory should
attract us. How delightful to think of heavenly
glory! How it raises the soul above earth I
Let us soar on high and view the glory of the
New Jerusalem, and of the saints in light. We
have seen that the glory of God and the Lamb
irradiates the celestial world. There, the Sun
of Righteousness always shines, and his beams
gladden the heart? of a ransomed host. There
IM MANUAL'S LAND. 457
God smiles, and the nations of the saved walk
in the light of his countenance. These is one
perpetual noontide of glory in the mansions
above. There is glory "an exceeding and
eternal weight" reserved in heaven for them
that love God.
When the whole assembly of the redeemed
shall stand on Mount Zion, they will shine as
the sun in eternal glory. "Then shall the
righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom
of their Father." Then "they that be wise,
shall shine as the brightness of the firmament :
and they that turn many to righteousness, as the
stars forever." Glory shines in Imrnanuel's
land. The city, the mansions, the inhabitants,
are all glorious. Every believer in Jesus will
be crowned with everlasting glory. Though we
could not bear the effulgence of heaven's glory,
should it now beam upon us, yet we know that
when we awake to immortality, that glory shall
be revealed in us. We know that when Christ,
our glorious Head, shall appear, we shall be like
him ; for we shall see him as he is. to be
like the blessed Jesus ! What heart can desire
nore? If we are His people we shall soon be
like him. Our bodies shall shine like his
like that wondrous Personage whose original
glory once beamed on Mount Tabor, when his
face shone as the sun, and whe^. his raiment
458 IM MANUEL'S LAND.
was white as the light. In heaven, trie WOL tiers
of Mount Tabor will ever be exhibited ; and
there the pure radiance of the Saviour's glory
will always beam upon redeemed milliona
VV ho can conceive this blessedness ? How de-
sirable, how attractive does it appear to an im-
morial mind 1 From those heights of bliss, every
soul will be ready to exclaim with Peter, " Lord,
it is good for us to be here." But more than
this. The saints will be made partakers of the
Redeemer's glory." " The glory which thou
gavest me, I have given them." " The Lord
will give glory." Amazing love 1 that Christ
should exalt his followers to such bliss, and
crown them with such glory !
But who can describe the glory of the saints
with Christ, contrasted with which, the splendor
of this world is darkness itself !
On what John saw in the revelation of the
heavenly world, and of the redeemed in glory,
an eloquent living writer* has the following
beautiful and glowing expressions :
" The glory of the meridian sun the intense
Drightness of the furnace the pure radiance of
the light the transparent beauty of the rain-
bow an ocean of gold, translucent as the crys-
Stephen EL Tyng, D. D., of New York, one of the most
eloquent divines o 'lie present age.
IMMANUEL'S LAND. 459
tal precious stones, of every hue, and of the
richest forms fountains, ever sparkling with
living water streams, with an unceasing flow
of perfect purity trees of unchanging verdure,
clothed with endless varieties of beautiful fruit
living beings, of the noblest and most exalted
aspect, clad in garments which earthly art in
vain would imitate music, of the tenderest in-
fluence and of the most overwhelming power ;
sometimes the single melody of a heavenly harp
and voice, and again flowing forth in a volume
of harmony, like approaching thunders, or the
majestic waterfall, or the mysterious rolling of
the sea a state of being, in its aspect of loveli-
ness, feebly illustrated by the most perfect bridal
beauty and purity of earth. All these, and
many like them, are efforts to express to man
the things which he saw and heard. But they
are all in vain. One sentence of his own con-
clusion sums up his acknowledged inability to
describe the glory of the saints with Christ:
* Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it
doth not yet appear what we shall be ; but we
know that when He shall appear, we shall be
like Him : for we shall see Him as He is.'"
To see Christ as he is to behold his glory
to be made a partaker of the glory that shall be
revealed this is heaven ; this is the glory of
the saints. I is to this glory that God is "bring-
460 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
ing many sons." It is to " eternal >-v.ry" that
we are called. God is leading his people to his
ten pie of glory to that city where there is no
night, and where they need no candle, neither
light of the sun ; for the Lori God giveth them
light, nd they shall reign forever and ever.
There, a gracious God will bestow upon us the
"riches of his glory," and we shall shine to all
sternity, in 'ae garments of glory and of beauty.
We shall ii.'.nrit a glorious kingdom, and wear
a glorious crc, vn. Our bodies shall be fashioned
like unto Cbiist's " glorious body ;" and we shall
obtain an exceeding and eternal weight of glory
in the smile and presence of God.
In view of our future glory, how insignificant
do these present afflictions appear? "For I
reckon, that the sufferings of this present time
are not worthy to be compared with the glory
which shall be revealed in us." Let the afflicted
Christian remember, that his momentary trials
and sufferings here, are preparing for him a
weighty crown of glory hereafter.
" Our light affliction, which is but for a mo-
ment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory." How animating is
this hope of a glorious immortality 1 joyful
hope I It cheers us amidst the surrounding
gloom of life ; it illuminates our pathway to the
tomb; it sheds its radiance beyond the grave;
IMMANUEI/S LAND. 461
it enables the believer to exclaim, when he is
just finishing his earthly course, and about to
embark upon the boundless ocean of eternity,
" Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
Judge, shall give rne at that day : and not to
me only, but unto all them also that love his
appearing.
Then, let us run with patience, the race that
is set before us, and soon we shall reach the goal
of immortal blessedness; then shall the glory
of heaven gladden our blissful sight, and the
streams of Paradise refresh our weary souls.
Let every reader be attracted by the glory of
heaven. Let him look to a bleeding Saviour
for salvation, and press onwaid with eagerness
to receive the crown cf glory that fadetb not
away.
462 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
CHAPTER V.
THE REST.
"There remameth therefore a rest to the peorle
HEB. iv. 9.
" We seek a rest beyond the skies,
In everlasting day;
Through floods and flames the passage lies,
But Jesus guards the way
"The swelling flood and raging flame,
Hear and obey his word ;
Then let us triumph in his name,
Oar Saviour is the Lord."
THERE is something peculiarly attractive m the
description of heaven as a place of rest. Here
is something that tends powerfully to lead the
soul upwards. This fleeting scene of trouble is
overlooked when the land of Rest is in view.
Heaven is a state of rest -rest reserved for
the righteous. How cheering is the blessed
truth, " There remaineth a rest to the people of
God." How desirable, how delightful is rest to
the weary traveller; to those who are almost
overwhelmed with the cares and anxieties and
afflictions, incident to human life' How re-
MMANUEL'S LAND. 463
freshing to the sons and daughters of affliction
to those whose bodies are "chastened with
pain" is the enjoyment of rest. But what is
the rest of earth to that of heaven ? O, how
delightful will it be for the Christian, after the
storms of life to enter the desired haven of eter-
nal rest 1
" Then are they glad because they be quiet ;
so he bringeth them unto their desired haven."
Every believer will be enabled to shout, as he
steps on the shores of glory, " This is my rest
forever: here will I dwell, for I have desired
it." What a rest is here presented to our view,
to animate us in our lonely pilgimage I A rest
from sin and suffering from toil and pain ; but
not from praise. A rest in the arms of Infinite
Love; a rest in Abraham's bosom, with Jesus,
the sinner's friend. A rest perfect, complete,
and eternal. This is the saint's rest. blessed
rest! where all are resting in eternal love
blooming in eternal joy. Let this attract you.
" There the wicked cease from troubling, and
tkere the weary are at rest."
You can find no rest in this world. To the
Christian, life is a continual battle-field ; with-
out are fightings, within are fears. " We wrestle
not against flesh and blood, but against princi-
palities, against Dowers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this world, against spiritual wicked-
464 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
ness in high places." We are comma ided to
" put on the whole arrror of God, that we may
be able to stand against the wiles of the devil ;"
and exhorted to fight the good fight of faith.
There is no rest for the Christian here ; it is
above in our Father's house in the mansions
of glory.
How animating to think that our rest is near
&t hand that our warfare will soon be over
that our pilgrimage will soon be ended ! Every
day is bringing us nearer our blessed home.
That joyful morning will soon dawn, when the
soldiers of the cross shall honorably lay aside
their weapons, and, with the garlands of victory
on their brow, enter triumphantly upon that
rest which remaineth for the people of God.
How long and loud will be those songs of vic-
tory that shall ring from rank to rank, through
that mighty host, who have been more than con-
querors through the blood of the Lamb, and who
are now brought to enjoy sweet, eternal rest in
the bosom of God ! How sweet will heaven be to
the weary Christian pilgrim when he finds his
toilsome journey ended ; when from the heights
of glory he looks back on a world of sorrow
through which he has passed ! To the afflicted
saint, that "rest" will become sweeter when he re-
flects on his past sufferings. There, he finds that
all his tears are wipec away, and not one joy is
IM MANUEL'S LAND. 465
wanting in the presence of his Savic^r, and in
the smile of his God.
Heaven is now presented to us weary pilgrims
with this powerful attraction Eest. "Would
you enjoy it? Does your heart aspire after
heaven's blessed rest? Then Jbelieve in Jesus ;
rest in him now, and you will soon rest with
him in the Paradise of God.
Remember that this is not your rest. " Here
we have no continuing city, but we seek one to
come." We are strangers and pilgrims on the
earth. This is not our home. We are coming
up from the wilderness with our faces Zionward ;
we are travelling to the celestial city. Our path
is rough, but the Saviour sustains us. Our pil-
grimage lies through a wilderness, but faith
cheers us with a view of the glorious rest of the
redeemed in our Father's house in mansions
of blessedness.
And how reviving to think that faith shall
soon be turned into sight 1 Let this considera-
tion animate us amidst the conflicts of life. In
a little while we shall obtain a joyous entrance
upon the rest above. The storms of life's ocean
will soon carry us into the haven of peace,
where there is no trouble. We shall soon rest
with Christ. Then our pilgrimage will have
ended, and our eternal rest have begun. From
the temple of God there shall be no more going
30
466 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
out There, the saints shall enjoy the everlast-
ing rest the Sabbath of eternity. Let us be
admonished to seek the saint's rest now. The
language of inspiration is, " Arise ye, and de-
part, for this is not your rest." Your Saviour,
pilgrim Christian, has prepared for vou a nobler
rest than this polluted world. In nis Father's
house are many spacious mansions, where your
happy spirit, after tasting the bitter cup of life's
sorrow, shall rest in eternal blessedness. No
restlessness \\ ill be experienced in the realms oi
glory. Nor sorrow nor trouble of any kind will
be there. There, the redeemed rest from their
labors and cares, and doubts and fears, and
spiritual conflicts. For them there is an eternal
calm a rest of perfect satisfaction in the enjoy-
ment of God their Saviour. 0, what a world is
that, where not a wave of trouble shall roll over
the soul, where all are resting in the enjoyment
of Him, who is "as a hiding-place from the
wind, and a covert from the tempest ; as rivers
of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great
rock in a weary land."
Heavenly rest should attract us. "Let u
labor, therefore, to enter into that rest, lest any
man fall after the same example of unbelief."
" Return unto thj rest, my soul : for the Lord
hath dealt bountifully with thee."
In view of such a gloriors rest beyond the
IMMANUEL'S LAND. 467
grave, well may we exclaim, " Blessed are the
dead which die in the Lord from henceforth :
yea, saith the spirit, that they may rest from
their labors ; and their works do follow them."
" For he that is entered unto his rest, he also
hath ceased from his own works, as God did
from his."
Blessed Jesus ! enable me to rely, with cheer-
ful hope, on thy dying love, until I reach the
blissful mansions, and enter upon my joyful
wet:
" Then shall I bathe my weary tool,
In seas of heavenly rest ;
And not a wave of trouble roll
Aerr wa my f 9oef il breast/
468 I M M A X l< K L ' S LAND.
CHAPTEfi VL
THE EMPLOYMENT.
" Therefore ire they before the throne of God, and enri
him day and night in his temple." REV. vii. 15.
"And they sung a new song." REV. v. 9.
THERE is nraoh in the employment of heaven
to engage our hearts and warm our affections.
Heavenly employment is the most delightful
work in which the soul ever engaged. The re-
deemed will be filled with ecstasy while engaged
in celestial work. The rest of heaven which
we have been describing, is not a state of inac-
tivity. 0, blessed rest, where " they rest not
day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord
God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to
come." The mansions of glory will be filled
with the sweetest melody. The employment in
which the redeemed in glory are engaged, is one
that should attract every sinner. It is one of
everlasting praise and adoration. How delight-
ful to spend eternity in praising God in con-
templating his wonderful works in admiring
his redeeming love! When all the redeemed
are Drought home to glory, they shall serve God
IMMANUAL'S LAND. 469
day and night in his temple. They shall sing
the song of Moses and the Lamb through a glo-
rious eternity.
In heaven the saints will be meditating on the
wonders of creation, providence, and redemp-
tion. There the power, wisdom, and goodness
of God, as manifested in the works of a vast
universe, will be brought to full view. In con-
templating Jehovah's mighty empire, all those
radiant inhabitants of heaven's mansions shall
cast their crowns before the throne of God, and
cry, " Thou art worthy, Lord, to receive glory,
and honor, and power ; for thou hast created all
things, and for thy pleasure they are and were
created." What pleasures are to be derived
from the contemplation of nature ! With what
delight have the minds of Bacon and Boyle, of
Newton and Herschel, surveyed the magnifi-
cence of creation's works ! But in heaven, the
Christian, with a knowledge infinitely surpass-
ing that possessed by any of these eminent cha-
racters, shall range with exquisite pleasure
amidst the beauties of Paradise. He shall spend
eternal ages in contemplating those wonderful
Ivorks which an omnipotent arm has scattered
in endless variety and beauty around him, and
which declare the glory of God, and exhibit his
power, wisdom, goodness, and love. The beauty
of the celestial universe, the charms of science,
470 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
and the pleasures of religion, will forever attract
the redeemed in glory. To those who have a
proper estimate of the value and importance of
natural and divine knowledge, how attractive
does that world appear where all are engaged in
contemplating the most delightful subjects that
can be presented to an immortal mind ! In
heaven, knowledge wil] have arrived at perfec
tion. Here, we see through a glass darkly
there, face to face. Here, we know but in part ;
there, we will know even as we are known.
In heaven, the providence of God over his
church and people, and every particular saint,
will be beautifully exhibited, causing each hear*
to exclaim, " Thou hast done all things well/
But above all, redemption will be the chief
theme of the redeemed before the throne. That
glorious work, executed on Calvary by the Sor
of God, will employ the souls of ransomed
saints in holy meditation through the blessed
Sabbath of eternity.
With what wonder shall that happy multi-
tude look into this mystery of love to fallen
man the redemption of the soul I With what
astonishment will they gaze upon a crucified
Saviour, bearing the print of the nails and of
the spear on his glorious form. How will se-
raphic love and gratitude rise in the bosoms of
those who have been washed in the blood o*
IMMANUEL'S LAND. 471
Jesus, when they behold Him in the midst of
the throne as the Lamb that was slain for them !
A crucified Jesus will be eternally admired as
the Lamb slain for the redemption of sinners.
He will receive the homage and praise of all the
redeemed through eternity. Eternity itself will
be too short in which to speak his praise, or tell
his preciousness, or proclaim the vastness of his
dying love on Calvary. This everlasting song
in which all voices shall unite in melodious
strains, will be sung in the realms of glory :
" Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength,
and honor, and glory, and blessing. Blessing,
and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him
that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the
Lamb, forever and ever."
In the contemplation of redemption, the souls
of the redeemed will be lost in wonder, love, and
praise. How overpowering will be the display
of divine love that shall then shine in the glo
rious plan of salvation 1
The eternal love of the Father, in giving his
Son, his only-begotten Son, to die for sinners
the amazing love of the Son, in exchanging the
throne of glory for the cross of Calvary the
wonderful love of the Holy Spirit, in applying
redemption to th * roul, will then appear in full
resplendency.
472 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
How brightly will that lore which was cnce
manifested on Calvary shine in the habitation
of the redeemed, while glorified saints are em-
ploying their noble powers in its sublime con-
templation! Eedemption will furnish eternal
employment for the Christian in that brighter
world his happy home. Eternal ages of glory
can never unravel the mystery of redeeming
love. Bedemption is a therne on which the
soul may unceasingly dwell with rapturous de-
light, and discover brighter and brighter dis-
plays of divine love and glory to all eternity.
How sweet will be the study of redemption in
heaven! That glorious salvation of which " the
prophets have inquired and searched diligently,"
and which the angels desire to look into, will
ever be the delightful and soul-ravishing theme
of the redeemed in glory, while eternal ages
roll away.
Then the employment of heaven will include
Ji it unending praise. Eternal songs will re-
sound through the mansions of glory. The
saints will be employed in praising God in ad-
miring the beauty and glory of Him who died
on Calvary for their redemption. One therne,
one song will employ every soul in glory. It
is the wondrous theme the new song of re-
demption, that will draw from their lips the
loudest notes of praise. "And they sung a new
IMMANUEL'S LAND. 478
song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book,
and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast
slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood
out of every kindred and tongue, and people,
and nation." "And they cried with a loud
voice, saying, salvation to our God who sitteth
upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." * And
they sing the song of Moses, and the song of the
Lamb."
Such is the delightful employment of the
heavenly world. Should not this blessed work
attract you? Do you not long to join with the
redeemed above in those celestial songs of praise
to him who died for man? O, then, be entreated
to choose a loving Saviour now ; and the happy
hour will soon arrive when you shall raise your
joyful voice in glory, and unite -vith the ran-
somed of the Lord in that sweet song which has
no dying cadence, and with which the arches of
heaven shall entirely resound; "Unto Him that
loved us, and washed us from our sins in his
own blood, and hath made as kings and priests
unto God and his Father, to Him be glory and
dominion forever and ever. Amen."
Oh, holy, holy, holy Lord I
Whom angel hosts adore;
When shall I join in raptured
The bright celestial choir I
474 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
In pity view a sinful worm,
A prisoner here below ;
A pilgrim journeying through the la*i
Of darkness, sin, and woe.
" Ten thousand voices round thy throny
Unite in hymna divine ;
' Salvation to the Lamb 1' they cry,
As high in bliss they shine.
Fain would I now begin the song,
To thee my God and Friend;
fbc mingle with the c'loire above
Ii praise whiel IM'AT sJmJi **&% -"''
IMMANUEL'S LAND. 4:75
CHAPTER VII.
THE SOCIETY.
"Ye are come unto Mouiit Zion, aiKi onto the c ty of tho
living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to mi innumerable
company of angels, to the general assembly And church of
the first born, which are written in heaven, aid to God the
Judge of all, and the spirits of just men made perfect, and
to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant." HEB. xii.
22-24.
THE society of Immanuel's land forms a prin-
cipal part of celestial happiness. Were a saint
to be excluded from the society of the uppei
sanctuary, he could not be happy though sur-
rounded by all the glories of the heavenly Jeru-
salem.
Heaven is a state of sweet, uninterrupted
communion. There the redeemed will meet in
blissful harmony, no more to separate. There,
they shall meet with the people of God who
have lived in every age of the world;, there
they shall converse with those bright angelic
beings that never sinned ; and there they shall
have the blissful society and glorious presence of
Him whom their souls love above everv sublu-
nary Abject they shall be r.. er with tfie Lord. The
476 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
contemplation of heavenly society should lead
every reader to seek the happy shores of thai
world where all the inhabitants are united sn
one sweet bond of affection and love.
We shall briefly notice the pure and perfect
society that the redeemed are to enjoy through
countless ages, in Immanuel's land.
1. In heaven, the saints shall have the society
of their redeemed brethren of every age and na-
tion. There, we shall sit down with Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob', in the kingdom of Immanuel.
We shall meet with the excellent of the earth.
We shall be associated with Patriarchs and Pro-
phets with Apostles and Martyrs with all
the lovers of the Saviour. And what a blessed
society will this be, where every heart is full of
love and every tongue flowing with praise.
Can a doubt be entertained that the saints
will know one another in glory? Surely not.
If the disciples knew Moses and Elias standing
on Mount Tabor, may we not expect to know
them too, when standing on the Mount of God?
Paul tells the Thessalonians that they are his
hope, and joy, and crown of rejoicing at the
coming of the Lord; and when he would com-
fort those who were mourning the loss of pious
friends, he sets before them the blessed hope of
meeting them on that great and joyous morning
when the, dead in Christ shall burst the fetters
IM MANUAL'S LAND.
477
of the grave and arise to immortality. Nothing
will be wanting to perfect the happiness of the
redeemed in glory. We may then anticipate
the most delightful association the most inti
mate acquaintance. how delightful will it be
to converse with Moses and Elias, with David
and Isaiah, with Paul and the twelve Apostles
of the Lamb ; to hear from their own lips the
tale of their wonderful history ! How joyful
will such society be! When we land on the
shores of glory we shall enjoy the societv of all
those faithful embassadors of the cross of Jesus,
who proclaimed salvation to a dying world.
There we shall be associated with such men aa
Luther, Calvin, Baxter, Flavel, Owen, Watts,
Doddridge, Edwards, Payson, Chalmers and Me-
Cheyne ; men who were so strongly attached to
the cause of Christ, and so entirely devoted to
his service. All the ransomed of the Lord shall
dwell together in one happy home. In the
word of God heaven is represented as a social
state: "I beheld, and lo, a great multitude,
which no man could number, of all nations, and
kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before
the throne, and before ihe Lamb." We shall
have the most endeared society in the world of
glory. We shall meet again, on the peaceful
shore, those dear friends with whom we took
sweet couacil together, and we^t to the house
478
i M MANUEL'S LAND.
of God in company, till death parted us. How
joyful will that meeting be, when we ehall min-
gle again with our Christian relatives in the
Celestial Sanctuary I Then shall we be made
pillars in the temple of God, to go no more out
In Imii^nuel's land, there is no more parting ,
and there the word " Farewell" never breaks the
heart. What a consolation does this blessed
truth administer to the bereaved Christian I
Perhaps the eyes of such are now resting on
these lines ; if so, we say to vou, dear readr-
*' Sorrow not, even as otners, which have n-
hope. For if we believe that Jesus died arid
i-ose again, even so them also which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with him.''
Be followers of them who through faith and
patience inherit the promises ; and very soon
you will reach the peaceful shores of glory, and
meet your godly relatives in blissful harmony
ant adoring praise. "Y7herefore comfort one
another with these words."
2. In the celestial world, the saints shall have
the society of holy angels an innumerable com-
pany of angels. Those ministerng spirits who
watched over our foocsteps on ccinii, will be OIB
companions in glory. With them we shall unit*
in the contemplation of redemption, and join b:
the praises of Immanuel. saying with a louc*
" Worthy is the Lamb tiia" 1 was slain to
IMMANUEL'S LAND. 479
receive power, and riches, and wisdom and
strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.
Blessing, and .honor, and glory, and power, be
unto him that sdtteth upon the throe e, and unto
the Lamb, forever and ever/'
3. But the crowning bliss of heaven is the
enjoyment of God Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. In those bright realms, we shall enjoy
the society of our Heavenly Father ; we shall
see his face. " Blessed are the pure in heart, foi
they shall see God." " And they shall see his
face ; and his name shall be in their foreheads."
This blissful sight and enjoyment of God is the
perfection of happiness all that the soul desires.
No heart can conceive how sweet that comma
nion between a holy God and redeemed saint*
will be in the mansions of bliss.
There, God will be near his people in a pe-
culiar manner, to bl tes them with his glorious
presence to comfort them with the full assur
ance of his love, and the eternal smiles of hit
countenance.
Then shall "the tabernacle of God be with
men and he will dwell with them, and they
sha. be his people, and God himself shall be
with them, and bb their God/' Standing before
his throne, and seeing his face in righteousness,
we shall behold the glorious manifestation of
his grace and love beaming upon us to all eter
480 i M MANUEL'S LAND.
nity. When we enter the portals of gloiy, we
shall see the King of Zion in his beauty, and be
perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of his
endearing society through heaven's etcraal Jay.
"There shall I see thy smiling face
And never, never sin,
There, from the rivers of thy race
Drink endless pleasures in."
4. Tne saints shall have the society of Christ
in glory. This is the principal attraction of the
heavenly world. In those blessed regions, dwells
the glorious Saviour with his people. " He that
sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them."
Oh ! to dwell in the presence of Him who loved
us and washed us from our sins in his own blood.
What heart can conceive the unutterable joy I
The presence of Jesus makes the heaven of the
believer. It is the heartfelt desire of every re-
newed soul to be with Christ to enjoy hin so-
ciety. The saints never feel themselves happy
till they are with Him, who is, in their estima-
tion, the chiefest among ten thousand, and alto-
gether lovely. The presence of Jesus is the
very centre of heavenly bliss. Jt is the felicity
the glory of the saints above. In the presence
r>f our Immanuel there is fulness of joy, and
pleasures for evermore.
When th -j Christian meditates on the glories
IM MANUAL'S LAND. 481
cf the Saviour when he considers that this
adorable Saviour died for him when he reflects
lhat he is soon to dwell with Him in the courts
of Paradise, no wonder that he should soar on
the wings of faith, beyond the visions of a mor-
tal scene, and exclaim with the Psalmist, "Whom
have I in heaven but thee? and there is none
upon earth that I desire besides thee I" The
sweet thought of the society of Jesus in glory
made Paul long to be dissolved, that he might
be with his Saviour. " I am in a strait betwixt
two, having a desire to depart, and to be with
Christ ; which is far better." " For to me to die
is gain." The blessed hope of entering into the
immediate presence of a loving Saviour, made
the martyrs pass through flames to the portals
of bliss ; and it will make every one who knows
and is fully assured that his Eedeemer liveth,
meet death with a smile. When the Christian
knows that to die is only to depart and be with
Christ, no wonder that he should exclaim with
his departing breath, in transports of joy, "Come,
Lord Jesus, come quickly."
The redeemed will ever enjoy the glorious
presence and blissM society of the Lord Jesus,
in mansions of endless felicity. " So shall we
ever be with the Lord." " Where I am," says
Christ, " there shall also my servant be." And
again, "Father, I will that they also whomthou
31
482
f MM AN U EL'S LAT*D.
hast given me be with me where I am, that they
may behold my glory." This is heaven, the
glorious habitation of the redeemed.
To enjoy sweet communion with a glorified
Baviour, is to be in a state of perfect happiness.
This unspeakable blessedness awaits all the
friends of Jesus in a world of glory. happy
thought
When the bright morning of the resurrection
shall dawn upon our enraptured souls, we shall
behold, with our bodily eyes, that Saviour who
once left the realms of bliss and poured out his
precious blood on Calvary for our redemption.
How lovely and attractive will he appear then
as our Redeemer I How will his glory shine in
the celestial sanctuary I And how will our souls
burn with seraphic love, and rise in adoration
and praise when we shall behold him as he is,
on his heavenly throne, radiant in glory; when
we shall see his hands and feet, and side and
head, which were once wounded for our trans-
gressions, and bruised for our iniquities ; when
we shall forever bask in the light of his life-
giving countenance, and taste through eternity
the sweetness of his immortal love !
What fountains of joy and rivers of pleasure
will emanate from his blissful presence to ex-
hilanxte our happy spirits while eternal
roll on!
IMMANUEL'S LAND.
483
Dear believer, in a little while your eyes shall
oehold the King in his beauty, and the glorious
land that is afar off.
"A few more rolling suns, at most,
Will land you on fair Canaan's coast ;
Then you shall sing the song of graoe.
And se your Saviour fae to face *
4:84: IMMANUEL'S LAND.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE PERPETUITY OF BLISS.
* And they shall reign forever and ever." REV. rrii. &
"O ye blest scenes of permanent delight?
Full, above measure! lasting, beyond bound I
A perpetuity of bliss, is bliss."
THE glory of Immanuel's land will shine with
increasing splendor through eternity. The bliss
of heaven is eternal. This stamps an infinite
value on all celestial enjoyments. How noble
are those pleasures which are to endure forever !
Such are the pleasures which are at God's hand.
They never fade. Forever is attached to every
enjoyment in Immanuel's land. Eternity is the
measure of the saint's bliss. " And they shall
reign forever and ever."
That happy land which we have been de-
scribing in this little volume is an eternal world.
It is an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled,
and that fadeth not away. How different from
this earthly abode are those bright mansions in
our Father's kingdom! How fleeting are the
pleasures of time This v^rld itself, with all its
IMMANUEI/S LAND. 486
grandeur, is passing away. Mutability, and de-
cay and dissolution are indelibly written on all
beneath the skies. Every object around us
feels the withering touch of time, and fades be-
neath its corroding energy. The proudest monu-
ments of antiquity have crumbled into dust, and
the most powerful nations and cities of other
days have been swept from the face of the earth,
and over them oblivion hangs its dismal mantle.
But eternity is inscribed on the gates of Para-
dise ; and an eternal weight of glory crowns all
the inhabitants of "Emmanuel's land. There they
will ever dwell in an eternity of bliss. O what
ineffable delight must spring up in the souls of
the redeemed in glory, when they contemplate
eternity I How sweet will that solemn word be
to those happy spirits before the throne ! As
they look forward into the boundless ocean,
they see they fear no end to their bliss. While
ages of glory roll on, the happiness will be un-
bounded, and eternal. When millions of ages
shall have run their ample round, the inhabi-
tants of Immanuel's land will still be young in
immortality, and before them will still roll an
eternity of glory. The mansions of our Father's
house are eternal. The blessedness the joy
the glory the rest the employment the so-
ciety of Immanuel's land are also as lasting aa
eternity itself. Let that solemn word eternity,
486
IM MANUEL'S LAND.
impress upon your mind the importance of sal-
vation. If you are saved, it is with an everlast-
ing salvation ; if you are lost, you are lost FOR-
EVER !*
Said a dear dying saint to the writer, as she
gave her parting look, "Think of ten of Eternity ;
that short Word, Eternity ! Oh ! what does it
not comprehend ?"
We would also entreat you with the utmost
compassion for your immortal soul, to " think
often of Eternity. Eternity is yours ; you are
an heir of immortality. You must soon enjoy
a perpetuity of bliss or of woe. be entreated
to forsake the world and cleave closely to Jesus !
Live to Him who loved you with an everlasting
love, and when death shall terminate your earth-
ly course, the portals of heaven will open for
your reception, and eternity, with all its untold
glories will burst upon your ransomed spirit,
and you shall be ever with the Lord..
IMMANUEL'S LAND. 487
CONCLUSION
HEAVENLY MEDITATION.
'* There is a place of sacred r.s,
Far, far beyond the skies.
Where beauty smiles etern -m ,
And pleasure never dies.
0, MY soul, rise on tlie wings of meditation,
and survey the glories of Immaiiuel's land!
Look bevond the dim visions of mortality be-
yond the swellings of Jordan beyond the
gloomy grave, and behold, with the eye of faith,
those deleetable mountains where shines the
city of our God in more than earthly splendor;
and where millions of happy saints are to reign
in glory, while infinite ages roll away. This is
our happy dwelling place O.UE Father's- house.
How brightly shine those celestial mansion*
irradiated, by the glory o Immanuel ! N<
cloud rests on these peaceful dwellings. Then,
all is light and joy. Our Heavenly Father L J
there; and in his gracious smile there is joy
unspeakable and full of glory. There we shall
rest in A miharn's bosom. There we shall
with that Friend who " loveth at all
488 IMMANUEL'S LAND.
times ;" there the Saviour will be in our miast,
to refresh our souls with the glorious manifesta-
tions of his eternal love. He will appear in per-
fect beauty from Zion's holy hill. There Shar-
on's lovely rose will bloom in everlasting day.
"Oh ! blessed Spirit, to my heart
This dear celestial flower impart ;
With joy I'll prize the Saviour here,
Then go to heaven and view him there."
In glory, Christ shall appear in all the loveh
ness of his person and character. The presence
of Him who loved us, and gave himself for us,
will make a sweet, glorious heaven indeed.
Clad in the spotless robes of redeeming righte-
ousness, we shall follow the Lamb to living
fountains of waters to perennial streams of
pleasures to boundless oceans of j 03^3; and in
the enjoyment of the Saviour's presence we
shall be perfectly happy. Within us, all will
be peace; around us, all will be glorious.
Immanuers land is a place of unfading beauty.
Eternal spring blooms in the realms of endless
day.
" How unlike this state below 1
There the flowers unwithering .Aow
There no chilling blasts annoj',
All is love, and bloom, and joy"
Mow sv r eet for the weary Christian pilgrim.
IMMANUEL'S L A K D . 489
while passing through this wilderness scene, to
think of that blessed abode 1 Dear follower of
Jesus, meditate much on heaven your happy
home. Think of the rapturous delight you
must experience in the courts of Paradise, while
vast eternity glides along. 0, what ecstatic joy
must reign in the ransomed family of the Lord
when they are admitted to see the King in his
beauty ; when they come to dwell forever in
the Paradise of God ! With joy anticipate that
glorious hour, when your happy spirit, freed
from its clayey tabernacle, shall take its flight
to those pure regions of bliss, where it shall
receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
" Oh, glorious hour, it comes with speed 1
When we, from sin and darkness freed,
Shall see the God who died for man,
And praise him more than angels can.* 1
Live with heaven always in view. Endeavor
to obtain a glimpse of the happy land, and in a
little while you will have reached the blissful
coast. You will soon enjoy the refreshing
breezes of the saint's rest. One step more and
you will have gained the happy shores of Im-
manual's land, where you shall tread with your
Redeemer the ceaseless round of eternity.
In view of such blessedness, who would not
exclaim in joyful tones, "Come, Lord Jesus.
I M M A N U E L ' S LAND.
Come quickly." O, that the happy hour was
come when we shall rest with Jesus in the
Paridise of God !
In the blessed hope of a. glorious immortality,
ft IL* look beyond this 'lying world,, and gaze
;>n thv glories of oar heavenly home, till hope is
turned iitto fruition, and faith into vision. Let
us lon^r lor the sight of that blissful city that
happy home in which we arc to spend a glorious
eternity.
And now, I co rimend you to God, and to the
word of his grace, which is able to build von
up, and to ^ive you an inheritance ainon^ ail
those who are sanctified. Hoping to inert v<>u
on the shores of Immanuel's 1-md. where the
Lamb which is in the midst <( the throne shall
feed us, and lead us unto living fountains of
waters; where God shall w.ipe away all tears
from our eyes; and where we shall sing the
song of redeeming love through countless ages
of glory. I would, till then, leave you in the
tender and compassionate arms of Jesus, the
Friend of Sinners
Jerusalem I Jerusalem J
Would God I were with thee !
Oh that my sorrows had au end,
Thy joys that I might see ?
Tby walls ar-i made of precious atona^
'lay bulwarks diamond squs-e :
IMMANUEL'S LAND. 491
Thy gates are made of Orient pearl ;
OGod, if I were there!
happy harbor of God's saints!
O sweet and pleasant soil I
In thee no sorrows can be found,
No grief, no care, no toil.
No dimming cloud o'ershadows thee ;
No gloom nor darksome night,
But every soul shines as the sun,
For God himself gives light
Lcrd, in ray forehead riant thy name
And take me hence away,
That I may dwell with thee in bliss
And sing thy praise for aye 1
Jerusalem ! my bap^y home.
O how I long for thee 1
1 hen shall my labors have an oa
"When once thy joys I sea"
THB BUD
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