A Believer's Last Day, His Best
5. The fifth and last word of counsel that I shall give you is this, Consider seriously and frequently, that God's taking away or removing of one mercy is but his making of way for another, and usually for a better mercy. God took from David a Michal—and gave him a wise Abigail. God took from David an Absalom—and gave him a wise Solomon. "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." John 16:7. God took away the bodily presence of Christ from his disciples—but gave them more abundantly of his spiritual presence, which was far the choicer and the sweeter mercy. God will always make that word good, "I will not leave you comfortless," or as the Greek has it, John 14:18, "I will not leave you as orphans, or fatherless children." No! I will come and comfort you on every side, and I will make up all your needs, and be better to you than all your mercies: "For your brass I will give you silver, and for your iron you shall have gold," etc., Isaiah 60:17.
To draw to a close—"When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge!"
Proverbs 14:32. We should lament over that dead man or dead woman whom hell harbors, whom the devil devours, whom divine justice torments! But let rejoice over those departed believers whom Christ embosoms—and whom all the court of heaven comes forth to welcome!"Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my end be like theirs!" Numbers 23:10. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints!" Psalm 116:15.
I desire you, and all others who shall read what is here written, to overlook the mistakes of the printer, if you meet with any, I having no time to wait upon the press to correct what may be found amiss.
The perusal and acceptance of what I here present in love, I shall leave to your judgments.
In the love and service of our dearest Lord,
Thomas Brooks
A Believer's Last Day, His Best Day
"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain!"- Philippians
1:21
Beloved, I am here at this time to speak a word to the living, my business being not to speak anything of the dead. Be pleased, therefore, to cast your eye upon Ecclesiastes 7:1: "A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth." I shall discourse upon the latter part of this verse at this time: "The day of death is better than the day of birth."
The Greeks say, "that the beginning of a man's nativity—is the begetting of his misery."