Evening and Morning
By Charles Haddon Spurgeon
February 7
Morning
"Arise,
and depart."—Micah 2:10.
The hour is
approaching when the message will come to us, as it comes to
all—"Arise, and go forth from the home in which thou hast dwelt,
from the city in which thou hast done thy business, from thy family, from thy
friends. Arise, and take thy last journey." And what know we of the
journey? And what know we of the country to which we are bound? A little we
have read thereof, and somewhat has been revealed to us by the Spirit; but how
little do we know of the realms of the future! We know that there is a black
and stormy river called "Death." God bids us cross it, promising to
be with us. And, after death, what cometh? What
wonder-world will open upon our astonished sight? What scene of glory will be
unfolded to our view? No traveller has ever returned to tell. But we know
enough of the heavenly land to make us welcome our summons thither with joy and
gladness. The journey of death may be dark, but we may go forth on it
fearlessly, knowing that God is with us as we walk through the gloomy valley,
and therefore we need fear no evil. We shall be departing from all we have
known and loved here, but we shall be going to our Father's house—to our
Father's home, where Jesus is—to that royal "city which hath foundations,
whose builder and maker is God." This shall be our last removal, to dwell for ever with Him we love, in the midst of His people, in
the presence of God. Christian, meditate much on heaven, it will help thee to
press on, and to forget the toil of the way. This vale of tears is but the
pathway to the better country: this world of woe is but the stepping-stone to a
world of bliss.
"Prepare
us, Lord, by grace divine,
For Thy
bright courts on high;
Then bid our
spirits rise, and join
The chorus of
the sky."
Evening
"And
they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up
hither."—Revelation 11:12.
Without
considering these words in their prophetical connection, let us regard them D
as the invitation of our great Forerunner to His sanctified people. In due time
there shall be heard "a great voice from heaven" to every believer,
saying, "Come up hither." This should be to the saints the subject
of joyful anticipation. Instead of dreading the time when we shall leave
this world to go unto the Father, we should be panting for the hour of our
emancipation. Our song should be—
"My
heart is with Him on His throne,
And ill can
brook delay;
Each moment
listening for the voice,
'Rise up and
come away.'"
We are not called down to
the grave, but up to the skies. Our heaven-born spirits should long for their
native air. Yet should the celestial summons be the object of patient
waiting. Our God knows best when to bid us "Come up thither." We
must not wish to antedate the period of our departure. I know that strong love
will make us cry,
"O Lord
of Hosts, the waves divide,
And land us
all in heaven;"
but patience must have her
perfect work. God ordains with accurate wisdom the most fitting time for the
redeemed to abide below. Surely, if there could be regrets in heaven, the
saints might mourn that they did not live longer here to do more good. Oh, for
more sheaves for my Lord's garner! more jewels for His
crown! But how, unless there be more work? True, there is the other side of it,
that, living so briefly, our sins are the fewer; but
oh! when we are fully serving God, and He is giving us
to scatter precious seed, and reap a hundredfold, we would even say it is well
for us to abide where we are. Whether our Master shall say "go," or
"stay," let us be equally well pleased so long as He indulges us with
His presence.