Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Crossing the River of Death

We finally came to the end of our series on The Pilgrims Progress. As Christian and Hopeful crossed the River of Death and gain entrance into the Celestial City, we were reminded that the last enemy to be destroyed is death. Death is not a friend. It is an enemy that all must encounter. And yet we encounter the terrible foe with the assurance that it is but the last hindrance to our eternal bliss. It is but the final door through which we pass to enter into our paradise of marital communion with our blessed Savior. And while Bunyan does not hide the dread and the pain that too often accompanies death in this life, we are reminded that grief and sorrow at death is a bittersweet reminder that in but a little while the griefless life shall be ours. The English Puritan, Christopher Love, understood this well.

On August 22, 1651 in England, Christopher Love was executed, beheaded on Tower Hill, having been wrongly condemned of treason. On the morning of his execution, he wrote these words to his loving and faithful wife:

The will of the Lord be done. Oh, say ye so when I go to the Tower Hill. The will of the Lord be doneƂ…I shall call thee wife no more, yet I am not much troubled, for I am going to meet the Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus, to whom I shall be eternally married.

1 comment:

ajcarter said...

Thanks John. Your words continue to be an encouragement. Your testimony of The Pilgrim's Progress being of more benefit to you now than it was when you first read it is a common testimony. In fact, my wife told me the same thing as she re-read the book this summer. I do hope my messages are an encouraging compliment to your reading. That was my design, though I fear I did not always meet my expectations. Thanks again.