the whole life of a man—but a life of changes? Death is a change that
David sometimes could say that "God was his portion, and his
salvation, and his strong tower," and what not; and yet shortly cries
out, "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within
me?" In one place he says, "I will never be shaken," Psalm 30:6; and
yet presently it follows, "You hide your face from me, and I was
troubled," ver. 7. And this is the state of a believer in this world. But
in heaven there shall no clouds arise between the Lord and a
believing heart. God will not one day smile, and another day frown;
one day take a soul in his arms, and another day lay that soul at his
feet. This is his dealing with his people here. But in heaven there are
nothing but kisses and embraces, nothing but a perpetual enjoyment
of God. When once God takes the soul unto himself, it shall never be
night with it any more—never dark with that soul any more, etc.; all
tears shall then be wiped away. That is a sweet word in the 1 Thes.
4:17-18, "And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore
encourage each other with these words." There are angels and
archangels in heaven. Yes—but they do not make heaven; Christ is
the most sparkling diamond in the ring of glory! It is heaven and
happiness enough to see Christ, and to be forever with Christ. Now,
oh what a glorious change is this! Methinks these things should make
us long for our dying-day, and account this present life but a
lingering death.
5. Death is a change, which puts an end to all CHANGES. What is
the whole life of a man—but a life of changes? Death is a change that
puts an end to all external changes. Here on earth, you often change
your joy for sorrow, your health for sickness, your strength for
weakness, your honor for dishonor, your plenty for poverty, your
beauty for deformity, your friends for foes, your silver for brass, and
your gold for copper. Now the comforts of a man are smiling, the
next hour they are dying, etc. All temporals are as transitory as a
rapid torrent, a ship, a bird, an arrow, a runner who passes by. Man
himself—the king of these outward comforts—what is he—but a mere
nothing?—the dream of a dream, a shadow, a bubble, a flash, a blast.
Now death puts an end to all external changes: there shall be no
more sickness, no more complaints, no more needs, etc.
And then death also puts an end to all internal changes. Now the
Lord smiles upon the soul, and at another time he frowns upon the
soul. Now God gives assistance to conquer sin, before long the man is
carried captive by his sin; now he is strengthened against the
temptation, in a short while he falls before the temptation, etc. Job
was heroic in the midst of storms, and speaks like an angel—but
when his body was afflicted, and the arrows of the Almighty stuck in
him, and his day was turned into night, and his rejoicing into
mourning, etc., then a man would have thought him an incarnate
devil, by his cursing. But death puts an end to internal changes, as
well as external changes. Now the soul shall be tempted no more, sin
no more, be foiled no more. Now you may judge by this, that a
Christian's dying-day is his best day.