IT is a solemn thing, under any circumstances, to have death in our dwelling. It was the first time it had ever entered ours; and though, by the grace of God, we could think of the one departed from us as safe with Jesus, the poor frail tabernacle, which he had left for us "to bury out of our sight," reminded us, that "by one man sin had entered into the world, and death by sin.”
His departure also made a painful blank in our midst. Though he had now been long withdrawn from the family circle, and confined to his bedroom, he was still the beloved center of many anxious hearts, both near and afar off. The first inquiry in the morning was for him; his name was the one most frequently mentioned in our prayers in our closets, and at the family altar; affectionate relatives were continually sending him delicacies, to provoke his failing appetite, as well as making anxious inquiries after his health; hoping against hope that he might yet be spared to his beloved parents and to them: and there were numberless ministries of love which our hearts delighted to render to him in the sick-chamber; all these were now over, and forever! he needed them no more; he was beyond them all. Prayer itself was now needless for him, for grace had accomplished all its work down here, and only praise was left; and it is indeed a blessed thought, that soon it will be so with all the redeemed ones forever,—"Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, they will be still praising thee.”
At first it was hard to realize that he was gone. It was difficult to feel that the watchful eye was no longer needed for him by night or by day; and that he would no more be expecting us to sit with him, or to read to him the word of life, which had been so full of comfort to his soul. There was the same noiseless tread, as we passed along the passage by his room; and the same watchfulness against every sound, as if we feared to wake him from his slumbers. If for a moment the dear children, in the buoyancy of their youthful hearts, forgot that the one they loved was taken from them, the solemn reality that his body was now lying cold and lifeless in the house, impressed on them that important lesson, "Lord, teach us so to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
We had now to make preparations for the burial, and we desired that it might be done in a manner well-pleasing to God. If the great principle which should govern all a believer's ways is, "Whatsoever ye do in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus," how blessedly it applies to the burial of one who belongs to Him! Not only the spirits, but the bodies of the saints are His: for it is written, "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ?" and again, "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God; and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your bodies and spirits, which are God's." This makes the body of a Christian such a holy thing in life; he should use it only for the glory of God; and when dead it is still the Lord's. I had pointed this out to Augustus on reading John 6 with him; not only does the Lord say twice, "I will raise him up at the last day," (ver. 40, 44,) but He lays a remarkable stress, in the 36th verse, on the resurrection of the body, by declaring, "This is the Father's will, which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day:" and we had rejoiced together in the blessed hope, that when the Savior came, He would " change his vile body, and make it like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able to subdue all things unto Himself." Phi. 3:21.
We desired, therefore, to inter his body in the remembrance that if belonged to Jesus, and that He would raise it up by His own power, at His appearing. We felt we could not imitate the world in all its
"Solemn pomp and mockery of woe,
and sought, therefore, that everything should be done with Christian simplicity; and that Augustus should be carried, as he had himself desired, "to his burial by devout men," as Stephen was, the saint who first fell asleep after the death and resurrection of Jesus from the dead. In this we were most tenderly and kindly assisted by those friends who had so often ministered to the comfort of the dear departed one, when alive.
May 3.—The earthly tabernacle of dear Augustus was put into the shell; he looked so sweetly. The beloved children, most of whom had never seen death before, assembled to look at their departed brother and friend.
There was nothing to terrify them. Though his face was so sunken and emaciated, no lips had the color of health, and the features retained the same sweet and peaceful smile with which he departed. We could almost fancy that he breathed; and we spoke in whispers, as if afraid to wake him from his peaceful slumber.
May 8.—We assembled with our children to take a last look at dear Augustus,—yet not a last look, for we shall see him again; but in what different circumstances! His vile body made like the glorious body of his risen Savior. We knelt around his remains, which had scarcely altered, and we Prayed to the God of all grace, that his dying words might be graven on our hearts, and that all might come to Jesus and follow Him. The shell was then screwed down, and afterward the coffin. The undertaker was a man who had feared the Lord from his youth; he much interested us by saying, that this was the fourth coffin he had made from the same oak, and that all four had been made for believers in the Lord Jesus. It is indeed blessed to have the children of God around us at all times, but especially in such scenes as these. Augustus was born of believing parents; believers had cared for him in life, nursed him in sickness; they did everything for him in death, and at last carried him to his burial. We then removed the coffin down into the sitting-room, which we prepared for worship against the morrow, that we might have as little as possible to interrupt the quiet solemnity of the day.
I never realized so fully before, as when gazing on the body of dear Augustus, the fullness and the power of many of the passages of the Word of God which speak of Christ's death a victory over death and the grave. What a solemn and wondrous thought that the Lord of life and glory should Himself be numbered among the dead! What a sight for angels to look upon! What a spectacle to Satan! Death had had many victims before; but now he appeared to triumph for a little while over the only righteous One, over Him who was “the Resurrection and the Life." How solemnly did God teach us when His sword awoke and smote His Shepherd, the man that was His fellow, that “the wages of sin is death !" “Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission." But how brightly do the, rays of Divine love illuminate even the portals of the tomb ! How has God commended His love to us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us! and if we look at death, Christ has died. And the very dust of death awakens in our hearts the remembrance of the riches of the grace and the depths of the love of God, for Christ has descended there.
HYMN.—(John 11)
“Thou hast stood here, Lord Jesus,
Beside the still cold grave,
And proved Thy deep compassion,
And mighty power to save;
Thy tears of tender pity,
Thine agonizing groan,
Teach how for us Thou feelest,
Now seated on the throne.
“Thou hast lain here, Lord Jesus,
Thyself the victim then,
The Lord of life and glory,
Once slain for wretched men;
From sin and condemnation,
When none but Thou couldest save,
Thy love than death, was stronger,
And deeper than the grave.
"Thou hast been here, Lord Jesus,
But Thou art here no more;
The terror and the darkness,
The night of death, are o'er;
Great Captain of Salvation,
Thy triumphs now we sing:
O Grave, where is thy victory?
O Death, where is thy sting?’
“We wait for Thine appearing,
We weep, but we rejoice;
in all our depths of sorrow,
We still can hear Thy voice:
I am the Resurrection,
I live who once was slain;
Fear not, thy friend and brother
Shall rise with Me to reign.”
May 9.—We met at eight Aar, for family worship. After singing "Great Captain of Salvation," (Hymn 101,) Mr. R—, a beloved brother in the Lord, spoke from John 11 on the sympathy of Jesus with His people, and contrasted His resurrection with that of Lazarus. The one rose with his grave-clothes on, to die again; the other, as the Spoiler of death and the grave, and the first-fruits of them that slept, to die no more. Several brethren in the Lord breakfasted with us; after which we sang Hymn 71—"Oh, what a bright and blessed world!"—and Mr. R—expounded the latter part of 1 Cor. 15, and prayed with great fervency for the absent parents and friends of the departed one, for our beloved children, and that this solemn occasion might be a time of blessing to those who knew not Jesus as the resurrection and life of their souls.
At half-past ten, the body was carried by six "devout men" to the hearse, and we followed it to the grave. Many beloved brethren, from distant places, joined us on the road, drawn by Christian sympathy and love, to have fellowship with us in committing to the Lord's keeping, until "the resurrection of the just," the body of His precious child. Among them were our brethren O'B—and Major B—, two of the oldest friends of the beloved parents. We spoke by the way of Him "who was dead, and is alive for evermore," and of the happiness of the departed one, who was now absent from that poor corruptible body, and present with the Lord.
The coffin was placed upon a table in the middle of the chapel, round which the members of our family sat together. Many of the Lord's children were also present, and many young persons.
The service began by our brother Mr. R—seeking a blessing on the solemn yet happy occasion. We then sang the following hymn, which carried our thoughts before the throne where Augustus was singing with unhindered joy, "Thou, Thou art worthy, Thou alone 1" and though in the midst of sorrow and weakness, we had fellowship with him in his unutterable joy:—
"The countless multitude on high,
Who tune their songs to Jesu's name;
All merit of their own deny,
And Jesu's worth alone proclaim.
“Redeem'd by blood, and saved by grace,
They stand before Jehovah's throne;
The happy song in that bless'd place
Is, Thou art worthy! Thou alone!'
“With spotless robes of purest white,
And branches of triumphal palm,
They shout, with transports of delight,
Heaven's ceaseless, universal psalm.
Salvation's glory all be paid
To Him who sits upon the throne;
And to the Lamb, whose blood was shed—
Thou! Thou art worthy! Thou alone!’
"'For Thou wart slain, and in Thy blood
These robes were wash'd so spotless pure;
Thou mad'st us kings and priests to God—
Forever let Thy praise endure.'
“While thus the ransomed myriads shout,
' Amen,' the holy angels cry;
Amen, Amen, resounds throughout
The boundless regions of the sky.
“Let us with joy adopt the strain,
We hope to sing forever there,—
'Worthy 's the Lamb for sinners slain,
Worthy alone the crown to wear!'
“Without one thought that 's good to plead,
Oh, what could shield us from despair,
But this, though we are vile indeed,
The Lord our Righteousness is there?”
Our brother Mr. J. N. D—then read 1 Thess. 2, and spoke with an unction and a power which lifted our hearts above the circumstances of sorrow which surrounded us, and carried us onward to the day when "God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes." The point on which he specially dwelt was,
“That while sin and death had entered into this world, and must sever every natural tie; however blessed originally, however true and proper in its place, grace had formed new ties, new affections, new relationships, which death could not touch; because they had their source in that new life which God has given to us in Christ, and flowed from Him who is beyond death.
“Paul had come to Thessalonica a perfect stranger to those whom he now addresses; he had not ' known them after the flesh.' He preached the gospel to them; they received his testimony, and were born of God. New affections at once existed between them,—new ties which death could not sever. How beautifully we see the exercise of them developed here! Before their conversion, ' he was willing to have imparted unto them not only the gospel, but also his own soul, because they were dear to him,' (ver. 8.) When they were in the weakness of newborn babes, he was gentle among them, as a nurse cherisheth her children,' (ver. 7); after that he had ' exhorted them, and charged every one of them, as a father Both his children, (for he had begotten them in the gospel,) to walk worthy of God, who had called them to His kingdom and glory.' (Ver. 11, 12.)
“Circumstances, such as bodily separation, the power of Satan, death itself, may hinder the full enjoyment of these divine affections, but they cannot destroy them. Such was the case here; Paul was taken from them in presence, but not in heart; he had endeavored to see them once and again, but Satan hindered him;' but these very circumstances only caused him to look beyond this scene to that day when these new affections will have all their full blessedness. 'What is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing 1 Are not even ye in the presence of the Lord Jesus at His coming? For ye are our glory and our joy.' (Ver. 19, 20.)
“It was thus with our beloved young brother. All that was merely natural in relationship between him and us was gone; death was the end of all that. But death could not touch one spiritual tie or affection. So far from that, it only removed the hindrances to the fullest enjoyment of them; for it destroyed the energy of the flesh and natural will, which is wholly opposed to the life of God. Another step was gained; a painful and an humbling one, it was true, but a needful one. Death had removed the flesh with all its workings. There was nothing on his part to hinder now.
“More even than that. The very body lying here was one step nearer to glory. That very body would become, by and by, the more efficient servant of those new affections, which it had hitherto been able so feebly to express. These new, divine feelings and affections were now ripening in their native clime above; and this body was preparing to give them, in their maturity, an unhindered development, ' in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, at His coming.'
“The coming of that day is the spring and power of our hope; for it will be the consummation of everything which even these renewed affections can desire, whether it be, as in this case, the Father in Christ's affection for His children, or the brotherly affection which unites all the members of the family of God.
“In the mean time, there is ' the patience of hope.' It is an unworthy object for which we cannot bear to wait. What is that love worth which cannot bear a trial? The present ability to bear separation, ' taken from you in presence, not in heart,' proves its reality and power. How blessed, then, amidst all these circumstances of sin and sorrow, to have these new joys and affections, which death itself cannot touch; the full maturity of which will be known, in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, at His coming!'”
We then sang the following hymn, which had been a great favorite of dear Augustus's, and we rejoiced that it was only "a little while," and Jesus would return, and we should he with him forever.
“‘A little while,' our Lord shall come,
And we shall wander here no more
He 'll take us to our Father's home,
Where He for us has gone before;
To dwell with Him, to see His face,
And sing the glories of His grace.
“'A little while,' He'll come again,-
Let us the precious hour redeem;
Our only grief to give Him pain,
Our joy to serve and follow Him;
Watching and ready may we be,
As those who long their Lord to see.
“'A little while, "twill soon be past;
Why should we shun the shame and cross;
Oh, let us in His footsteps haste,
Counting for Him all else but loss.
Oh, how will recompense His smile,
The sufferings of this 'little while!
A little while,' come, Savior, come!
For Thee Thy bride has tarried long;
Take Thy poor, wearied pilgrims home;
To sing the new, eternal song;
To see Thy glory, and to be
In everything conform'd to Thee!
Mr. D—gave thanks to the Lord for His grace to our young departed brother, and we moved to the grave.
After we had stood round it for some minutes in solemn silence, a brother in the Lord read 1 Cor. 15: 35, to the end; and our beloved friend O'B—bore testimony to the value of the blood of Jesus, and declared the joy he had felt when he last saw Augustus, in witnessing the heavenly smile which the mention of that precious blood produced. (P. 67.) He then, with the deepest fervor, prayed for his beloved parents, the children, and ourselves; and gave thanksgiving and praise for him who had fallen asleep in Jesus.
The body was then lowered into its quiet resting place, to wait for the morning of the resurrection. I read the following hymn, and we sang the last two verses:—
"Great Captain of Salvation,
We bless Thy glorious name;
Of death and hell the victor,
With all their power and shame
“Weak, helpless, poor, and trembling,
As in ourselves we stand,
We triumph more than conquerors
Through Thine almighty hand.
“Our brother's fight is over;
His youthful race is run;
'Twas by Thy grace and power
The prize of life he won;
He now is sweetly sleeping;
His spirit rests with Thee;
And though Thy saints are weeping,
Our song is Victory!'
“Soon Thou wilt come in glory,
With all Thy Church to shine;
Our bodies raised in honor
And beauty, Lord, like Thine:
Then, then we shout still louder,
The song which now we sing,—
‘O Grave, where is thy victory?
O Death, where is thy sting?'
“O Son of God, we thank Thee,
We bless Thy holy name;
Thy love once made Thee willing
To bear our sin and shame;
And now Thy love is waiting
Thy Church like Thee to raise;
First-born of many brethren,
Thine, Thine be all the praise!”
A slight shower fell while we were singing, but the clouds soon dispersed, and the sun again burst forth, and shone brightly upon us. It reminded us of the day when "the Sun of Righteousness" shall come; when "He shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass, springing out of the earth, by clear shining after rain," 2 Sam. 23:3, 4,3The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. 4And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. (2 Samuel 23:3‑4) when those "that sow in tears shall reap in joy." Mr. R—concluded the service with thanksgiving and prayer. We gathered close round the grave, to take a last, lingering look of him we loved, and then returned home. Several brethren accompanied us; we dined together, and then dispersed. The love of Christ had brought us for a little season together, round the grave of one whom Jesus loved; and then we separated "in presence, not in heart," desiring to occupy " the little while," till He come again in works of faith and labors of love.
A weeping willow has been planted over his tomb, by a young friend who loved him, and the following inscription marks where he lies:—
And now, dear Reader, what are the lessons we learn at this early grave? Does it not cry, All flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass ?”
Are you a believing Parent? For what are you bringing up your children? For this world, or for eternity? Oh, remember that all which is naturally lovely and intelligent in our children must soon wither in the grasp of the hand of death.
Have you brought your children to Jesus? Have they faith in His precious blood? Are they safe in the ark from the coming wrath? If not, let me beseech you to read to them the dying experience of this youth, cut off as a flower of the field before he was fourteen years old! Tell them what he thought of this poor delusive world on his dying-bed; and what he found Jesus to be to his soul. 'Jesus was all his peace." Tell them of his desire for all around him, that "they might come to Jesus, and follow Him.”
Would not the Israelite, whose child was bitten by a fiery serpent, have been its murderer, if he had not hastened with it to the brazen serpent, lifted up upon the pole, and bid it look and live?
And are not your children sinners? They may appear outwardly fair and lovely in your eyes; but the deadly poison of sin infects their bodies and their souls: and will you not be the soul-murderer of your children, and guilty of their blood, if you do not warn them of the wrath to come, and set before them Jesus crucified? Oh, then, tell them of the Cross; of the love of God in giving His Son to die for sinners; and tell them of the Savior's love—His willingness and power to save. What but His blood can deliver them from hell, or fit them for the joy, the glory, and the holiness of heaven
Above all, cry to Jesus for your children. Cry, as she cried for her daughter, to whom He said, "O woman, great is thy faith!" MATT. 15. Such a cry is louder in the ears of Jesus than all the songs of heaven. He will say to thee, "Be it unto thee, even as thou wilt.”
What rich encouragement has Jesus given us to bring our little ones to Him! We hear Him say, "Safer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not;" and we see Him take them up in His arms, put His hands upon them and bless them. Mark, their coming was not of themselves; they were brought to Jesus. "He is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever." He did not cast out those little ones; He will not cast out ours, if we bring them to Him. The birth of each dear child would indeed be agony to a parent's heart, who was alive to its state by nature, and the evils and temptations of this sinful world, if he could not see Jesus thus presented to us, with His arms wide opened to receive them, His hands stretched out to bless them, and hear His voice of tender, gracious love, saying, "Suffer them to come unto Me." And oh, what a hiding-place, what a refuge, what an ark of safety for our children, in His arms, near His heart, and under His blessing There let us take our little ones; and if our faith be weak, still let us come as the father of the poor child that was possessed with the devil, "Lord, I believe, help Thou mine unbelief." Mark 9:2424And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. (Mark 9:24).
But if, by the grace of God, you believe that your children are saved, let me, though conscious of my own personal failure, ask you, what are you seeking for them? Is it that they may really follow Jesus? Are you outside the camp yourself? and are you bringing up your children there Are not converted children often early taken away because even converted parents so little seek for themselves and for their offspring, "First, the kingdom of God and His righteousness?" It was not, I judge, because Lot himself loved Sodom, (for his righteous soul was daily vexed there,) that he gave up his stranger, pilgrim walk of faith, to dwell in its polluted walls. Did he not go there from misjudged, carnal, natural affection for his children There they were brought up, there they married, and, though he himself was saved, there they perished, Oh, if that word, "Remember Lot's wife," is a warning to professors: Remember Lot's children, should be a warning to parents! May the Lord give us grace to tread in the steps of Abraham, of whom God could testify, "I know Abraham, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord." GEN. 18:1919For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. (Genesis 18:19).
Surely it is no light responsibility to have the training of a child bought with the blood of Jesus. Well may believing parents ask of the Lord, as Manoah did, "How shall we order the child, and what shall we do for him?" Judg. 13:1212And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him? (Judges 13:12).
Should any unconverted person, young or old, read this memoir, let me affectionately beseech him to remember, "It is appointed unto men once to die, and after that the judgment." And how can you meet death or judgment, if you are in your sins, out of Christ, and a neglecter of this great salvation? Oh, believe the gospel of the grace of God! The God you have sinned against has given His Son to die for sinners, and He beseeches you to be reconciled to Himself. Your sins, which made you fit for hell, make you also fit for Jesus crucified; believe in His precious blood, and that blood will make you fit for the presence and glory of God in heaven.
THE END