Over the river : or, Pleasant walks into the valley of shadows, and beyond: a book of consolations for the sick, the dying, and the bereaved

Front matter

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, t v^

V^Mj i-

'fi

Preface

Beside those named in the title-page, this little volume has two objects specially in view —

First: To present the subject of death in its true light ; to show that the Scriptures speak of it cheerfully, and in pleasant phrase ; to establish the fact that, as a rule, it is not attended either with the mental terror, or the extreme physical suffering, commonly ascribed to it — and thus to remove that dread of dying which oppresses the minds and hearts of so many truly good persons, and is the cause of no little unhappiness to all who are passing down to the banks of the river of death.

Second : To offer for the consideration of the thoughtful believer, more elevated and satisfactory views of the future state than prevail generally among Christians. When we consider the extent, the grandeur and variety of the material universe, the countless worlds which throng the abysses of space; it is surely reasonable to suppose that, since we

VI PREFACE.

cannot, while in the body, behold the wonders of God's creative power as displayed in these, we shall be permitted to visit them out of the body. It is difficult to believe that w^itli all these glones of God's creation calling to us from afar, we shall remain in any one place, singing hymns and playing on golden harps through eternal ages, and think this heaven — whatever the meaning we attach to these expressions.

The book is sent forth as a Comforter, in these times when so many need comfort and courage and faith, with a prayer that the blessing of God may attend it on its mission of mercy.

Boston, 3Iay, 1864.

I. Comfort for the Sick

THE EEVELATIONS OF SICKNESS, 11

THE BLESSING OF A CHEERFUL PIETY, 42

IS THY HOUSE IN ORDEfl ? . . - 54

INSPIRED MEDITATIONS FOR THE SICK CHAMBER, 61

DIVINE CONSOLATIONS FOR THE SICK, 66

II. Bevelations for the Dying

THE EARTHLY TENT — THE HEAVENLY HOUSE, 85

THE DEATH OF THE BODY THE LIFE OF THE SPIRIT,.. 107

8 CONTENTS.

THE PASSAGE OF THE RIVER ANP THE PREPARATION

FOR IT, .119

THE WORLD BEYOND THE RIVER, OR THE GLORY OF

THE CELESTIAL, 129

EMPLOYMENTS OF THE FUTURE LIFE, 137

III. Consolations for the Bereaved

THE LESSONS OF SORROW, 187

THE SOUL'S HUNGER AND THE BREAD OF HEAVEN,.. . .193

THROUGH TRIBULATION INTO THE KINGDOM, 200

"THE VALLEY OF PEACE," OR THE PLACE OF THE

DEAD, 263

I.

In silence will T bear the pain Which God has sent me by his will ;

Ne'er will I murmur nor complain ; Although he wounds, he loves me still.

In sickness not the less God's child

Than if the world around me smiled.

True to himself, God changes never —

Wise, mighty, merciful, forever.

>HE lesson of suffering is, of all others, the most reluctantly learned; and yet it has often proved the most instructive and beneficial of all, bringing with it blessings which abide with us through life and death, and reach over even into the immortal sphere — ''for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Sickness, sorrow, bereavement, death, are but the . servants of God, teaching us heavenly things, reveahng to us the mystery of Divine Love forever educing good from evil ; and finally leading us up into the heavenly heights, whose clearer atmosphere enables us to see things in their true relations, and to discern afar off the beneficent results of our present trials.

And yet, believing this, we do not love sorrow, we do not choose suffering, because of any good it may secure us. This is not surprising, when we consider the weakness and blindness of human nature. The boy who does not wish to go to school, still wishes for the knowledge which is the fruit of diligent study. So we do not like to suffer ; but we rejoice in the new life and heavenly-mindedness which often are the product of it. We thank God for the gift of immortal hfe ; yet we do not like death, which is the only gate that leads to it. We believe in the ineffable joys of heaven, but we still cling to the comparatively poor and transient joys, of earth.

This Is well, for If there were no natural dread of death, no Instinctive shrinking from Its touch, we should desert the post of duty, and rashly fling life away on the first occasion of grief or misfortune. As It is, the matter Is so disposed by the Lord of life and death, that, as a rule, however difficult our duties, however great our sorrows, we are willing to stay ; while, at the same time, he has given us such blessed hopes and consolations that, rightly accepted, we are willing to go when he calls us.

And so, my suffering friend. It Is not a matter of wonder, that you cannot welcome sickness and bodily pain, or that you find them hard to bear, even though you may believe they are not wholly evil. But that the burthen may be lightened, let us commune together for a little of the things which the Lord hath spoken for your comfort and encouragement ; and of the benefits coming from affliction accepted In an humble and teachable spirit. And,

First: Sickness reveals to every one the need of religious culture, and the value of religious faith ; and one of its obvious benefits is that it affords opportunity for reflection and meditation on this important theme. It may be that you have not hitherto given much thought to religious things, to the Bible, to God, to the nature and needs of your own soul. The world, its cares, and gains, and ambitions, have wholly engrossed your attention ; and spiritual things have been pushed aside, forgotten or driven out of mind in ihe hurry and eager rush of your worldly life. Possibly it has never seriously occurred to you that sickness and suffering and death might fall to your lot ; that this life is brief at the longest ; and that, by and by, you must pass on '^over the river," and leave behind you all you have, and all you love.

But now you will have time to think of these things ; and you will discover that you are not quite sufficient for yourself; that health and strength may suddenly depart, and the frail thread of life be snapped at any moment, and that it is wise to be prepared for it. Prostrated upon the bed of sickness, withdrawn from the excitements and interests which have so long held you in bondage, a favorable and fitting season is granted you for self-communion and reflection on these grave and paramount questions. And, brought face to face with the great realities, you will begin to prepare for the new experience born of them, in an earnest and humble spirit, — and then the blessing is not afar oiF.

Second: This sickness will reveal to you your entire and constant dependence on God ; and how it is that you live, and move, and have all your blessings, in him. Through all these years God has been your support and protection, the source of life and health, and the giver of every good and perfect gift you have enjoyed. But how often have you remembered him with gratitude and thanksgiving for these blessings ? How often have you sought the guidance of his wisdom, the bless-

Ing of his holy spirit? How often have you prayed for strength to overcome the temptations and to bear the trials which might meet you in the difficult paths of life? But now you will think of God. Weak and feeble, and suffering under the hand of disease, you will turn to him for comfort and strength ; and you will find him a very present help in time of trouble, for the ear of the Lord is ever open to them that call upon him.

And what a blessed thing it is, even at the cost of sickness and bodily anguish, to be able to shake off the entanglements of the world ; and worn, weary and fainting, to lie, as it were, on the bosom of the Father, to feel his supporting arm underneath you, and to hear his voice speaking to you in the silence and saying : ' ' Fear not ; when thou passest through the waters I will be with thee ; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee ; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee ; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mme." This is the promise of the Lord to all who seek him in the time of need. He is a sure refuge and defence in all our troubles ; our strength, our peace and joy, our health, our life, our all. And that sickness is a blessing which leads the sufferer to the experimental test of this truth, and reveals to him that his highest life, his supreme good, is in God, and lies infinitely above the health or sickness, the life or death, of the body.

Lean, then, upon the strong arm of the Father, and let your soul open out toward him in holy communion, as the fainting flower opens to receive the welcome and refreshing rain. Let this affliction draw you unto him through Christ, and you will find all and more than you seek. In the quiet of your chamber, in the secret sanctuary of the spirit, lift up the prayer of faith and trust ; and you will feel ere long that the peace of (xod is finding its way into your heart, and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ making the burthen lighter and easier to bear every day.

O there is no experience of the soul so sweet and comforting, so divinely beautiful, as that which brings us, through sorrow and suffering, into this close relation with our Heavenly Father ; and by which we are able to recognise the touch and pressure of his arm as it passes under us to hold us up in our weakness. To lie down upon it, and cease from all effort and struggle ; to feel that it is not your own, but God's strength that sustains you ; to feel a sweet calm diflfused through all your being, that perfect peace passing knowledge or expression ; to be patient and strong under suffering, and know all the time that you never could feel thus by your own unaided eflfort ; that it is all of the Lord's mercy and goodness, that he helps you, holds you in his arms, and does every thing for you ; and that therefore all weariness is gone, and all the anguish of suffering, and the bitterness of death, and nothing now can disturb you evermore. O, when this heavenly height is reached, however rough and dark the path that leads to it, we are thankful to have trodden it. This divine calm which possesses the soul, is more than an equivalent for all that we have suffered. And we feel that out of our hearts we can truly bless God for that sickness and pain which have thus brought us into the fellowship of his Spirit ; for that sorrow which has brightened now into everlasting peace.

Third : This sorrow will reveal to you the greatness and tenderness of the Saviour's love, and bring you into closer sympathy with him ; for he was ' ' a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief," and is therefore ' ' touched with the feeling of our infirmities," and ''in that he himself hath suffered" he is able and ready to succor them that come to him. Hence he says, ''Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest : take my yoke upon you, and learn of me ; for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light, and ye shall find rest unto your souls." There is something affecting in the thought that Jesus has trodden all the paths of suffering humanity, tasted every cup of bitterness, and at last met death in its most fearful form — all for us ; that he might know how to pity us in our grief and anguish, and to comfort us in our distresses, and how to strenscthen and encourao-e us in the day of death, and give us victory over the grave. O, how much nearer and dearer he seems to us on this account ; how much greater our confidence and affection, and how are we comforted and strengthened in all our afflictions, when we think of this sublime sacrifice for our good !

Let this season of affliction, then, direct your thoughts to the meek and gentle One, the Divine Sufferer, ^' who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, and crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man." Think of him as the

THE REVELATIONS OF SICELNESS. 21

Comforter and the example of all who suffer ; and remember with what sweetness and patience he bore his burthens, saying, meekly, ' ' the cup which my Father giveth me shall I not drink it?" And remember, too, that he is still near to all who will call upon him; that now, as of old, he is '^ passing by," and is ready to heal and to bless every suffering soul.

Watcher, who wakest by the bed of pain, While the stars sweep on in their midnight train, Stifling the tear for thy loved one's sake. Holding thy breath lest his sleep should break. In thy lowliest hour there's a helper nigh —

Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.

Fading one, with the hectic streak, And the veins of fire, on thy wasted cheek, Fearest thou the shade of the darkened vale, Look to the Guide who can never fail ; He hath trod it himself ; he will hear thy sigh — Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.

Mourner who sittest in the churchyard lone Scanning the lines on that marble stone, Plucking the weeds from the grassy bed, Planting the rose and the myrtle instead, Look up from the tomb with a tearless eye —

Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.

Fourth: Sickness reveals the value of the Bible as a source of comfort and encouragement. There is a beautiful significance in the words of Walter Scott, when approaching death, respecting the preciousness of the Divine Scripture to the sick and dying. He had requested his son-in-law to read to him ; and, on his inquiring what book he should read from, the sufferer exclaimed, as he looked up, his face illuminated with a heavenly expression, ^'What book! why, my dear, to one in my situation, there is but one book!" There is pointed truth in this. In the hour of our greatest need, when disease and pain are doing their sad work on the burning brain and the throbbing heart, when the spirit and the flesh fail, and there is no help in man — it is not the revelations of science that we wait for, but the Revelations of the Gospel. It is not what the geologist may say of earth, but what the Spirit says of heaven ; not the words of Plato nor of Bacon, but the words of Jesus and Paul, that the fainting heart welcomes as the balm of healing, as the sweetest and the only comfort It knows. In that hour. In that condition, truly there is but one book for us. All others are valuable only as they serve to illustrate the spirit and teachings of that, and help us to appropriate to our own needs its divine promises and consolations.

And how rich the Bible Is in these words of eternal life and peace. And now that you are weary and distressed, this will be made manifest unto you, and the sacred volume will become a lamp to your feet and a light to your path, so long as you are In the valley of shadows. It will be to you as a new book, every page seemingly Illuminated with truth especially spoken for you; every testimony of the Father's love, every promise of comfort and divine assistance, coming with a fresh meaning, and a wonderful adaptedness to your particular condition of mind and heart. And whatever may be the result of this sickness, whether you stay with us, or go to join the departed over the river, it will bestow one abiding blessing, if it lead you thus to the Fountain of Life, the wells of living water. And in that day thou shalt say, '^O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou hast afflicted me, yet thy chastisement is turned away, and thou hast comforted me. Behold, God is my salvation ; I will trust, and not be afraid : for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song ; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy will I draw water out of the wells of salvation."

Go then, thou sick and weary and failing one, go to the word of God for strength and resignation. Turn over the glowing pages of the gospels, linger among its inspired utterances, treasure up in your heart the sweet sayings of Jesus ; and you will find the sick bed eased, the hours of pain shortened, the power of endurance daily increasing, and a calm courage and a holy peace possessing your soul.

Of health and strength and ease bereft My spirit turns to Thee —

hast thou not a blessing left, A blessing, Lord, for me ?

Behold thy prisoner — loose my bonds.

If 'tis thy gracious will, If not, make me. Lord, content

To be thy prisoner still !

1 may not to thy house repair, Yet here thou surely art ;

Lord, consecrate a house of prayer In my surrendered heart.

To faith reveal the things unseen ;

To hope the joys unfold ; Let love, without a veil between,

Thy glory now behold.

Oh ! make thy face on me to shine,

That doubt and fear may cease ; Lift up thy countenance benign

On me, and give me peace.

II.

'§,muam for ^Jrankfttlmss.

If what I wish thy will denies, It is that thou art good and wise ; Afflictions which may make me mourn, Thou canst, thou dost, to blessings turn. Deep, Lord, upon my thankful breast, Let all thy favors be imprest ; And though withdrawn thy gifts should be. In all things I'll give thanks to thee.

ICK, languishing and despondent, I lie here through the long day, and through the longer night, counting the weary hours as they drag heavily by. Deprived of ease and comfort, struggling with bodily pains, with the burning heat of the fever, with the protracted and exhausting cough of consumption, with faintness and feebleness — it is hard to bear it all with patience and resignation. It is hard to give up health and business, all the duties and pleasures and welcome activities of life, and He down upon the bed of sickness and suffering, and perhaps of death.

Yes, but after all, have I not many things to be thankful for? With all that I suffer, have I not much to comfort me? With all the blessings taken, are there not many moi^e than these left to me ? What cause for gratitude, since I am sick, that I am sick at home, among my own kindred, surrounded with the familiar things and the familiar faces which have made such happiness for me all my life long. O what a difference, if this sickness had come upon me In a foreign land, or far away from home, among strangers, with no friends or relatives to minister to my wants, or speak sweet words of consolation and hope.

Thanks to the merciful providence of God, since this affliction has come, it has come under circumstances so favorable, and so well calculated to lighten the burthen of it. What a comfort it is to see the dear faces of those I love, to hear their pleasant voices, to recognise their light step upon the floor, to know that the pain-assuaging draught is mixed, and held to my lips, by the hand of affection. How it helps me to bear my pain, this thoughtful kindness, this constant ministration of patient, never-tiring love ! How it redeems the weariness of the day, and peoples the loneliness of the night, and lights up the gloom of the sick chamber. And if I die, O how blessed it is to die among mine own ; to know that, as my eyes grow dim, their last look will be of those ever dear to me ; and that the last sounds which will linger in my failing ears, will be the sweet voices of the beloved who have given to my life all its beauty and joy. O God, my heavenly Father, I thank thee for these mercies ; and though in thy wisdom thou hast afflicted me, and taken back some of thy gifts, I will not forget the many precious blessings

REASONS FOR THANKPULNESS. 29

left. ''Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee."

There is another cause for thankfulness, blending in with that first named, which also reveals to me the fact, that this sickness is not wholly evil. Hitherto, absorbed in my own affairs, anxious for my own interest, and blessed with health, I have thought too little of others, — the sick and suffering and dying. I have seldom^visited the house of sorrow and mourning, seldom spoken a word of sympathy to those in affliction. And I have not been prompt to offer my services in such cases, and to give heed to the many little duties and attentions, which are so grateful to the sick, and serve so much to lighten the gloom, and lift up the weight of suffering.

I am thankful that my affliction has taught me the worth of these things, and shown me what comfort there is to the sick in words of kindly remembrance and inquiry, in the timely visit, in' the delicate attentions of friends, in the generous fellowship of a loving m 30 REASONS FOR THANKFULNESS.

spirit ; in a word, in the sweet consciousness that all around there are hearts beating in every pulse with sympathy, with earnest wishes and prayers for our welfare. I know now what inspirations of hope and courage and cheerfulness there are in these thino^s. This baptism of affliction has quickened my soul into new and tender relations to all who suffer. Hereafter the sick man is twice my brother — by the ties of a common humanity, and by the fellowship of a common sorrow. Hereafter my feet shall be swift to do the offices of love, and to repay to others sick the debt of kindness laid on me. The word of cheer, the friendly visit, the timely remembrance, shall not be wanting from me to make the weary hours of the sick chamber pass quickly, to lay the heavy pains to rest, to quiet the agitated nerves, and close the long sleepless eyes in soothing slumbers.

Surely it is something to be thankful for, even if it come through sickness ; this knowledge of myself; this quickened sense of my

REASONS FOR THANICFULNESS. 31

dependence on the kindness and sympathy of friends, and the consequent duty I owe to others ; this sweet experience of the comfort there is in human sympathy in the day of distress ; and the divine joy there is in ministering to the afflicted, in following Christ in his work of mercy among the sick and suffering.

And then, what reason have I to be thankful, that in the providence of God, the lines of life have fallen to me in a land of Christian knowledge and faith ; that through all this weary sickness I have the comforting promise of the Gospel, that whatever of suffering is laid upon me will in some way turn to my good. What should I do in this day of darkness and distress, if I felt that all my trials and sorrows, that all events indeed, came of chance, without order or law, without any beneficial purpose or end ! But now, thanks to the merciful and loving Jesus, I am consoled by the confident assurance I have, that all things are subject to the dif ine rule ; that there is no chance nor accident in my afflictions, but that all, past, present and to come, is directed by infinite benevolence, and that therefore every pain and grief of mine will finally shape itself into some form of blessing.

O, then, cannot I bear patiently, sustained by this inspiring truth? And, however dark the night, shall I not walk forward cheerfully, with this promise of the Lord as a shining light in my soul, illuminating all the path before me ?

Yes, in my sickness I will thankfully remember the blessings of home and kindred ; I will be devoutly grateful for the ministrations of love and friendship ; and, whatever my sufferings, I will rejoice in the comforting promises of the Father, that all shall end well.

All as God wills, who wisely heeds

To give or to withhold, And knoweth more of all my needs

Than all my prayers have told ! Enough that blessings undeserved

Have marked my erring track ; That wheresoe'er my feet have swerved,

His cha5;tening turned me bnck. —

That more and more a ProTidence

Of love is understood, Making the springs of time and sense

Sweet with eternal good ; That care and trial seem at last

Through Memory's sunset air, Like mountain ranges overpast

In purple distance fair, —

That death seems but a covered way j

Which opens into light, Wherein no blinded child can stray

Beyond the Father's sight, — And so the shadows fall apart,

And so the west winds play ; And all the windows of my heart

I open to the day.

III.

^O0h in ^farl.

One adequate support For the calamities of mortal life Exists, one only, — an assured belief That the procession of our fate, howe'er Disturbed or sad, is ordered by a Being Of infinite benevolence and power, Whose everlasting purposes embrace All accidents, converting them to good.

O evil is wholly evil ! This is one of , i. the bright gleams of light that stream in upon all nights, even the darkest. No evil is wholly evil. Behind the blackest cloud the sun shines — or the stars. All our trials and sorrows have elements of good in them ; hopeful features w^hich smile upon us in gentle reproof of our unbelief and discouragement. Now and then, as the swift shuttle passes, we catch glimpses of bright threads weaving themselves into the dark web of our affliction. Hidden relations of events are discovered in this or that direction, where we did not look for them. And, by and by, the futiu-e good, which at first was shut out by the present and nearer evil, begins to lift itself into the line of vision ; and we feel our faith increased, and confirmed at last, in the ever joint action of the infinite Power and Love of the father.

Long time ago I wrote thus ; and, as the years drift by, and the sphere of observation and experience is extended, and I discover how singularly the threads of good and evil, joy and sorrow, sickness and health, cross and recross as warp and w^oof in the loom of life, and intertwine and weave up into the web of destiny; the more firmly do I believe this, the greater is my confidence in that wisdom, which ordains evil as well as good, which orders with equal mercy darkness and light, suffering and rejoicing, death and life. Day by day, and year by year, the divine fact comes into clearer light, that all evil has a sunny side to it, that sorrow is the twin-sister of joy, and the grave only the vestibule to the temple of immortal life.

*' There is no sorrow, friends, but it has still Some soul of sweetness in it ; there's no ill But comes from Him who made it, and is good As fruit in season, leaf in budding wood."

This affliction that has come upon you, this sickness that consumes your strength, and wastes the body, and withdraws you from the activities of life, is not in vain, not without some purpose of good for you. Receive it in a trusting spirit ; improve it in lifting up the soul to God. Let the weary hours of weakness and pain he lightened by thoughts of heavenly things, by sweet communion with the Holy Spirit ; by recollections of past events, which have revealed the good there is always hidden away in evil, which have shown the benefit there is in every grief or trial that the Lord appoints ; by numbering to yourself

GOOD IN ETIL. 37

the occasions in your own life, and in the life of others, when you have seen how much better it was that God's will was done rather than yours or theirs.

A thousand times have I repeated to myself these lines, whose truth is equal to their beauty :

*' With patient heart thy course of duty run, %