Meditation on Heaven, is a pillar of support under
all our sufferings.
One hour in Heaven will make us forget all our
sorrows. As the sun dries up the water, so one beam of God's glorious
face will dry up all our tears.
Heaven will make amends for all!
The saints shall receive as much glory as human nature, when glorified, can receive. But, although Christ conveys his image to his people, he does not convey his essence. The sun shining upon a glass leaves the impress of its beauty there — but the glass is not the sunbeam; so Christ conveys only his likeness, not his essence.
There will be no sorrow in Heaven; one smile from
Christ will eradicate all tears. Sorrow is a cloud gathered in the heart
upon the apprehension of some evil, and weeping is the cloud of grief
dropping into rain; but in Heaven the Sun of righteousness shall shine
so bright, that there shall be neither cloud nor rain.
"There remains a rest for the people of God;"
not but that there will be activity in Heaven, for spirits cannot be
idle — but it shall be activity without lassitude or weariness. It shall
be labor full of ease, activity full of rest.
Heaven is the highest link of the saint's happiness.
The lamp of glory will be ever burning, never wasting. As there is no
intermission in the joys of Heaven, so there shall be no expiration.
When God has once planted his saints in paradise, he will never
transplant them, "they shall be forever with the Lord."
What if all the dust of the earth were turned to
silver; what if every stone were a wedge of gold; what if every flower
were a ruby, every blade of grass a pearl, every grain of sand a diamond
— yet what is all this, compared to Heaven? It is as impossible for any
man to comprehend glory, as to "measure the heavens with a span," or
drain the mighty ocean.
As the sunshine of blessedness is without clouds, so
it never sets.
The sea is not so full of water as the soul of a
glorified saint is full of joy. There can be no sorrow in Heaven, as
there can be no joy in Hell.
The glory of Heaven will be seasonable. The
seasonableness of a mercy adds to its beauty and sweetness: it is like
"apples of gold in pictures of silver." Heaven is granted to the saints,
when the conflicts with sin and sorrow are ended.
Although Heaven be given us freely — yet we must
strive for it; our work is great, our Master is urgent, our time is
short; we must be earnest as well as diligent. "Whatever your hand finds
to do, do it with all your might."
Is there a kingdom of glory coming? Then see how
happy are God's saints at their death! They go to a kingdom! They see
God's face, which shines ten thousand times brighter than the sun in its
meridian glory! They have in the kingdom of Heaven, the quintessence of
all delights! They have the water of life, as clear as crystal! They
feed not on the dew of Hermon — but on the manna of angels. In that
kingdom the saints are crowned with perfection! The desires of the
glorified souls are infinitely satisfied! There is nothing absent they
could wish might be enjoyed! There is nothing present that they could
wish might be removed. No saint wishes to return from that land of
Beulah! They would not leave the fatness and sweetness of the olive
tree, to embrace the bramble. What are golden treasures, compared to the
gold that never perishes in the kingdom of Heaven? There is glory in its
highest elevation. In Heaven, there is . . .
knowledge without ignorance,
holiness without sin,
beauty without blemish,
strength without weakness,
light without darkness,
riches without poverty,
ease without pain,
liberty without restraint,
rest without labor,
joy without sorrow,
love without hatred,
plenty without excess,
honor without disgrace,
health without sickness,
peace without end,
contentment without cessation!
knowledge without ignorance,
holiness without sin,
beauty without blemish,
strength without weakness,
light without darkness,
riches without poverty,
ease without pain,
liberty without restraint,
rest without labor,
joy without sorrow,
love without hatred,
plenty without excess,
honor without disgrace,
health without sickness,
peace without end,
contentment without cessation!
Oh, the happiness of those who die to the Lord!
If God says to us, "You are mine" — then he will take
us up to himself at death. Death dissolves the union between the body
and the soul — but perfects the union between God and the soul. This is
the emphasis of Heaven's glory, to be with God. "Lead me, Lord, to that
glory," said a holy man, "a glimpse whereof I have seen as in a glass,
darkly."