place of rest and happiness, that he cannot pass to it but through a painful and thorny passage, he marches with resolution and courage, when a friend of his is gone before, and stretches out to him his hand to help him. Now it is not possible to attain to the glories of heaven, and the joys of paradise, but through the passage of death; a passage very uneasy and grievous to our present seeming; but Jesus Christ, who loves us with an eternal love, hath gone through this passage before us. He is passed from this world to the Father; he is gone to his God and to our God. And that we might go to him, he hath sent the light of his holy word to direct us, John ii. He vouchsafes to us his staff and his rod to comfort Psal. xxxiii. and stretcheth out the right hand of his almighty power to cause us to pass from death to life; "Where I am (saith he) there shall also my servants be," John xii. When the apostles went up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went before them, Mark ix. they were terrified and frighted; but we that go up to the heavenly Jerusalem, and tread upon the footsteps of this mighty Saviour, ought to be full of boldness and christian confidence. This great God and Saviour reigns in heaven; he commands the earth, the sea, and the deep; therefore we may die without fear, and with an holy joy. For who would not rejoice to enter into the glorious palace of immortality, where we shall see not only the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, the holy and blessed Virgin, with all the saints of paradise; but we shall see, face to face, our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, whom so many kings and prophets have desired to see and hear? While we remain in those bodies, we are absent from this victorious Lord, therefore rather desire to be absent from the body and to be with Christ. This consolation causeth the holy apostle to confess, "That his desire was to depart, and to be with Christ, which was far better for him," Phil. i. 23. The The queen of Sheba left her kingdom, and came from a corner of the earth, to see king Solomon, who was but a type of Christ, and who had but a little of his wisdom and glory. And is there any treasure on earth, and honour in this age, or pleasure in this life, that might hinder us from going to see our Saviour Jesus Christ? When he was in his infancy, the shepherds left their flocks, and made haste towards Bethlehem to look upon him; the wise men came from the east to adore him; and if he were yet on earth, we should undertake a tedious pilgrimage to the ends of the world, and part with our dearest enjoyments to see him. But the little village of Bethlehem is nothing in comparison of the celestial Jerusalem; and what is the sight of the Lord Jesus in swaddlingclothes, lying in a manger, and in the arms of his blessed mother, in comparison of the sight of a Christ clothed with light, crowned with glory, and sitting on the right hand of God the Father, upon a magnificent throne, worshipped by all the angels, and the glorified spirits? The father of the faithful was transported with joy, when he saw in spirit the day of the Lord; and the spouse in the Canticles was exceeding glad, when she heard him knocking at her door; and old Simeon was ravished above measure, when he beheld Christ in his arms. How much more shall we be transported and ravished into admiration and joy, when we shall look upon him as he is now in his highest glory, and raised to the most magnificent state, and when we shall enjoy him, never to leave him again! When St. Stephen beheld the heavens open, and Jesus Christ sitting at the right hand of God the Father, his face became radiant as that of an angel. Therefore how luminous and shining shall our countenances be, when we shall enter into these places of light, and behold face to face this blessed Redeemer for ever! When old Jacob heard that Joseph was alive, and reigning in Egypt, whom he had so tenderly loved, and for whom he had hal shed so many tears, he was passionately desirous to see again this dear son, and to be witness of his glory: "It is enough (saith he) Joseph is yet alive; I will go and see him before I die," Gen. xlv. And what think you, believing souls, when you understand that your true Joseph, whom you heartily love, lives and reigns above in heaven, and that he is there worshipped by all the glorified spirits? Do not you earnestly desire to see his face, and to behold his divine glory and happiness? This old father was weak and feeble through age, and oppressed with grief; but his spirit revived when he saw the waggons that Joseph had sent to fetch him. And you, my christian brethren, when old age and sickness have weakened your bodies, and grief and displeasure have undermined your hearts, do not you feel yourselves revive when Death draws near, and you perceive, with the eyes of faith, the horses and chariots which Christ hath sent to carry you away to the paradise of his glory? Joseph received his father and brethren with tears of joy, and all the house of Pharaoh rang with outward expressions of gladness. With what joy, with what kindness and love, will Christ embrace us! What rejoicing will there be in heaven at your arrival! It is not to be expressed, but with tongues of angels. Joseph fed his father and his brethren; but he never yielded up to them any part of his glory. Whereas our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, who excels Joseph as much in power and magnificence, as he does in love and mercy, shall not only feed us with the bread of his kingdom, and give us to drink of the rivers of his pleasures, but he will also impart unto us some of his glory and splendour, as he promised to his apostles, "I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me," Luke xxii. "To him that overcometh, I will grant to sit with me on my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." Rev. iii. Joseph's brethren, notwith standing standing his dignity and power, became slaves; but Jesus Christ will place upon our head a crown of pure gold. Joseph could not defend his brethren from death; all died one after another, and he also in his time yielded up the ghost. But Jesus Christ, who is risen from the dead, dieth no more; Death hath no more dominion over him; so that he lives for ever and ever, and will cause us all to become immortal. Therefore, instead of desiring, as Jacob, to live to go down into Egypt to see his son Joseph, we should earnestly desire to die, that we might ascend up into heaven, there to behold our Lord Jesus Christ, our Father and Redeemer. When Jacob embraced again this wonderful and beloved child, in the exceeding transport of his joy and love he burst out into this kind of language, "Let me die, now that I have seen again thy face, and that thou art alive." On the contrary, when we shall embrace Christ in his glory, when we shall behold his divine countenance, we shall speak in another manner. My Lord and my God, since I now see thee alive, and reigning in heaven, I shall live also, and reign with thee for ever and ever. Amen. A FRAYER and MEDITATION for a believing Soul, which arms itself against the Fears of Death, by meditating on the glorious Ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven, and his sitting at the right hand of God. O HOLY and divine Saviour, I have often looked upon thy generous behaviour, and glorious victories, to strengthen myself against all apprehensions of death; but, if thou wilt render my joy most perfect and accomplished, grant me grace to meditate upon thy divine triumph. As thou hast been engaged in many encounters for my sake, and hast vouchsafed to give me a share in thy victory, grant me also a share in thy glorious ascension and triumph. As thou hast suffered for my my sins, and art risen again for my justification; thou art also ascended up into heaven to prepare a place for me. Thou art willing that I should be admitted into thy noble and divine palace; that I should be where thou art, that I may behold thy glory, which thou hast enjoyed with God the Father, before the creation of the world. O sweet and merciful Lord, what cause have I to fear to go to heaven, since thou art there seated in the highest glory and felicity, and stretchest out thy merciful hand to receive me? Have I not good reason to expect to be glorified in thy kingdom, since thou thyself dost bestow upon those that serve thee, immortal crowns and sceptres? O great God and Saviour, thy throne is surrounded with glory and splendour; nevertheless, I will draw near unto it with boldness; for it is a throne of love, and a throne of mercy, unto which every penitent sinner may come. Round about this glorious throne I see a rainbow of emerald-colour, that certifies me that thy covenant is everlasting. When thy glory and majesty increased, thy love for me was not diminished, and thy compassion and goodness were always alike. Thou art the same yesterday and to-day, and thou shalt always be the same for ever. Thou hast been pleased, for my salvation, to lie in a manger, and to be nailed to a cross. Thou hast given thy soul for my ransom; and hast spilt thy precious blood to wash and cleanse me from my sins, and to mark me a way that I might enter into thy holy sanctuary. In the midst of all that glory and light with which thou art now clothed, thou hast not thought it a scorn to acknowledge me for thy brother, and for a member of thy mystical body. It is for my sake that thou appearest before thine heavenly Father; and it is for me that thou offerest up unto him prayers and supplications. O wonderful Lord, it is in thy power to give me the things which thou hast merited by thy sufferings, and which thou desirest for me by thy prayers and intercession; for all power is given unto thee in heaven and in earth. O sovereign Monarch of the whole world, hast thou not made us |