DEATH, SAINTS’
Aristeides Observed The Christians
About the year
125 A.D. a Greek by the name of Aristeides was writing to one of his
friends about the new religion, Christianity. He was trying to explain
the reasons for its extraordinary success. Here is a sentence from one
of his letters:
“If any
righteous man among the Christians passes from this world, they rejoice
and offer thanks to God, and they escort his body with songs and
thanksgiving as if he were setting out from one place to another
nearby.”
—J. G. Gilkey
Moody More Alive
Realizing that
he would soon be gone from this world one day, Moody said to a friend,
“Someday you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody of Northfield is
dead. Don’t you believe a word of it.
“At that
moment I shall be more alive than I am now. I shall have gone higher,
that is all—out of this old clay tenement into a house that is
immortal, a body that sin cannot touch, that sin cannot taint, a body
fashioned into His glorious body. I was born in the flesh in 1837; I was
born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die;
that which is born of the Spirit will live forever.”
Exchanging Soiled Banknote
Some
said that death is paying a debt of nature. But it is not paying a debt,
but rather exchanging money at the bank. We bring a crumpled note to the
bank to obtain solid gold in exchange. In a Christian’s death, you
bring this cumbersome body, which you could not retain long; you lay it
down and receive for it, from the eternal treasures, liberty, victory,
knowledge, rapture.
Dying Words Of Believers
•
Matthew Henry—”Sin is bitter. I bless God I have inward
supports.”
•
Martin Luther—”Our God is the God from whom cometh salvation:
God is the Lord by whom we escape death.”
•
John Knox—Live in Christ, Live in Christ, and the flesh need
not fear death.
•
John Calvin—”Thou, Lord, bruisest me; but I am abundantly
satisfied, since it is from thy hand.”
•
John Wesley—”The best of all is, God is with us. Farewell!
Farewell!”
•
Charles Wesley—”I shall be satisfied with thy
likeness—satisfied, satisfied!”
•
Baxter—”I have pain; but I have peace. I have peace.”
•
Preston—”Blessed be God! though I change my place, I shall
not change my company.”
•
Goodwin—”Ah! is this dying? How have I dreaded as an enemy
this smiling friend!”
•
Everett—”Glory, glory, glory!” (this expression was
repeated for 25 minutes and only ceased with life itself).
More Last Words
•
William Carey the missionary—”When I am gone, speak less
of Dr. Carey and more of Dr. Carey’s Saviour.”
•
Susanna Wesley—”Children, when I am gone, sing a song of
praise to God.”
•
Lady Glenorchy—”If this is dying, it is the pleasantest thing
imaginable.”
•
Edward Perronet, pastor—”Glory to God in the height of His
divinity! Glory to God in the depths of His humanity! Glory to God in
his all-sufficiency! Into His hands I commend my spirit.”
•
John Pawson, minister—”I know I am dying, but my death-bed is
a bed of roses. I have no thorns planted upon my dying pillow. Heaven is
already begun!”
•
Adoniram Judson—”I am not tired of my work, neither am I
tired of the world; yet when Christ calls me home, I shall go with the
gladness of a boy bounding away from school.”
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