On the 4th of February, 1900, the mortal remains of Her late Majesty, Queen Victoria, were laid to rest in the tomb at Frogmore. Her long and illustrious reign over a great earthly empire had come to an end. Now the question was asked:—
"What was her relation to Christ while in life? Where is her soul now, while her body lies at Frogmore?”
No place in all the fair domain around the late Queen's Berkshire home was so dear or more familiar to Her Majesty than the gardens of Frogmore. The Mausoleum she there had built to receive the body of her beloved consort, and for the reception eventually of her own mortal remains, showed little of the usual gloom of a sepulcher. It consisted of a central chamber with four transepts which formed a cross. The green dome was visible from the Long Walk; but only upon a close approach could one view the stately and ornate character of the structure. Over the entrance this loving and tender dedication was inscribed:"His mourning widow Victoria, the Queen, directed that all that is mortal of Prince Albert be placed in this sepulcher. A.D. 1862. Farewell, well beloved! Here at last I will rest with thee, and with thee in Christ I shall rise again.”
What faith and hope do these last eight words express! They are not the language of cold formalism but of divinely given belief: "With thee in Christ I shall rise again." Precious testimony to her faith in Jesus!
Another incident in the life of Queen Victoria reveals the basis of that saving faith which could speak so confidently.
Her Majesty, as was her wont, often visited the humble and the poor. On one occasion she had been to see a lowly cottager who was a happy believer in the Lord Jesus. Before leaving, the Queen inquired if she could do anything for the old lady.
"I have all I want, thank your Majesty," said the aged woman.
"But can't I do anything for you?" asked the Queen. "I'd like to do something for you.”
Again came the response: "I have all I need, thank your Majesty; but if your Majesty would promise me one thing, I would be very happy.”
"I will do that if I can," replied her Sovereign.
"What can I do for you?”
"Oh, your Majesty, if you would just promise to meet me in heaven.”
Softly but firmly came the reply: "I will do that, in virtue of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ." The petitioner was satisfied, and well she might be.
The soul that rests upon that precious blood, whether sovereign or subject, is safe indeed. Its virtues are unlimited; and as surely as the beloved Queen of England knew it in life, she knows, thank God, much more of it now. She has exchanged an earthly crown and a temporal throne for the everlasting joy of the presence of her Lord.
Reader, may I ask how you stand in relation to Christ? If in simple faith you look away from self to Christ, and trust Him only, you can promise, as happily and as confidently as Queen Victoria, "I will meet you in heaven in virtue of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.”