These
desires do deal with death, as Jacob's love to Rachel dealt with the
seven long years which he was to serve for her. It made them seem
few, or but a little time; so do these desires deal with death
itself. They make it seem little, nay, a servant, nay, a privilege,
because by that a man may come to enjoy the presence of his beloved
Lord. I have a desire to depart, to go from the world and relations,
to go from my body, that great piece of myself--I have a desire to
venture the tugs and pains, and the harsh handling of the king of
terrors, so I may be with Jesus Christ. These are the desires of the
righteous.
Are not these therefore strong desires? Is there not life and mettle
in them? Have they not in them power to loose the bands of nature,
and to harden the soul against sorrow? Flow they not, think you,
from faith of the finest sort, and are they not bred in the bosom of
a truly mortified soul? Are these the effect of a purblind spirit?
Are they not rather the fruits of an eagle-eyed confidence? Oh,
these desires! they are peculiar to the righteous.
Christ in glory is worth the being with. If the man out of whom the
Lord Jesus cast a legion, prayed that he might be with him
notwithstanding all the trials that attended him in this life, how
can it be but that a righteous man must desire to be with him, now
he is in glory?
To see Jesus Christ, to see him as he is, to see him as he is in
glory, is a sight that is worth going from relations and out of the
body and through the jaws of death to see; for this is to see him
Head over all, to see him possessed of heaven for his church, to see
him preparing mansion-houses for those his poor ones that are now by
his enemies kicked to and fro like footballs in the world: and is
not this a blessed sight?
Secondly, I have a desire to be with him, to see myself with him;
this is more blessed still: for a man to see himself in glory, this
is a sight worth seeing.
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