The Rest of Heaven! # 2

The Rest of Heaven! # 2

Such results, he is sure, could have sprung from nothing but living faith. Possessing that faith - faith which justifies, faith which purifies - he knows that is is secure. For him death is disarmed of its terrors. Hope sheds its radiance over the darkness of the tomb, and perfect love casts out fear. While listening to the last farewell of earth, in his ear - it seems blended with the welcome of Heaven, and he exclaims, with holy exultation, "Thanks be unto God, who gives me the victory through my Lord Jesus Christ."

We always consider it a spirit-stirring spectacle when we behold a man earnestly pursuing to the end, the course which he has adopted - when his last words or acts betoken fidelity to the main purpose of his life, and show the ruling passion strong in death.

With feelings of admiration and thankfulness we behold the departing saint, whether his course has been more public or more private, steadfast even to the end - faith in Christ his only hope - the spread of the gospel the one desire of his heart - ceasing to work only when he ceases to breathe - and as he looks back upon a whole life of service, now drawing toapeaceful close, with deep humility, and yet with holy confidence, declaring, "The time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing." (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

From the heart we exclaim, "Servant of God, well done! Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord!"

They are blessed because they die, that they may rest. And to the toil worn laborer, what can be more welcome than rest? Wearied by his burden of care and anxiety; his warfare with the world, the flesh, and the devil; his efforts to realize the scriptural ideal of the Christian life; his endeavors to turn men from sin's darkness to light - how joyfully does he listen to the assurance that he shall "rest from his labors!"

To the man, indeed, who has known nothing of toil or suffering - there is no charm in the prospect of rest. Let his Christianity be of the cast which lulls to sleep, rather than stimulates, forbids no luxury, demands no sacrifice, exacts no work, which seems only designed to render this world more comfortable by by taking away all fear for the future - what does he care for the promise of rest? Is he not resting already? Can ease or quiet be more profound? But let him know what it is to watch, to wait, to suffer, to labor, to struggle - and then, as the haven to the storm-tossed mariner, or home to the wounded soldier, or the Sabbath to the man of toil - such to him is the heavenly rest.

May we not with equal truth affirm that the rest when it comes, is all the sweeter because of the previous labor? As earthly things are the types of heavenly, from the one we may perhaps on this point judge of the other. Now, when a man retires from active duty, the pleasure with which he settles down in that retirement depends very much on his preceding course. If he has accomplished, or even attempted, nothing worthy of remembrance - nothing which he can look back upon with satisfaction or gratitude - his very rest lacks some of the first elements of enjoyment. He may be a statesman whose indecisive and wavering positive disgrace has missed the opportunity of doing his country service. He may be the ambassador, who has fallen into grave error, and endangered the peace of the world - or the humblest tradesman, whose one mistake has been to suppose that wealth is everything. In each of these cases the leisure which ensues is such as few would covet.

~Joshua Harrison~

(continued with # 3)