The Redeemer’s Prayer

The Redeemer's Prayer

A Sermon

(No. 188)

Delivered on Sabbath Morning, April 18th, 1858, by the

REV. C.H. SPURGEON

at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens

"Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me
where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me:
for thou lovedst me before the foundations of the world."–John 17:24.

WHEN the High Priest of old entered into the most holy place, he
kindled the incense in his censer, and waving it before him, he
perfumed the air with its sweet fragrance, and veiled the mercy seat
with the denseness of its smoke. Thus was it written concerning him,
"He shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the
altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten
small, and bring it within the vail: and he shall put the incense upon
the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the
mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not." Even so our
Lord Jesus Christ, when he would once for all enter within the vail
with his own blood to make an atonement for sin, did first offer strong
crying and prayers. In this 17th chapter of John, we have, as it were,
the smoking of the Saviour's pontifical center. He prayed for the
people for whom he was about to die, and ere he sprinkled them with his
blood, he did sanctify them with his supplications. This prayer
therefore stands pre-eminent in Holy Writ as the Lord's Prayer–the
special and peculiar prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ; and "if," as an
old divine hath it, "it be lawful to prefer one Scripture above
another, we may say, though all be gold, yet this is a pearl in the
gold; though all be like the heavens, this is as the sun and stars." Or
if one part of Scripture be more dear to the believer than any other,
it must be this which contains his Master's last prayer before he
entered through the rent vail of his own crucified body. How sweet it
is to see that not himself, but his people, constituted the staple of
his prayer! He did pray for himself–he said, "Father, glorify thou
me!" but while he had one prayer for himself, he had many for his
people. Continually did he pray for them–"father, sanctify them!"
"Father, keep them!" "Father, make them one!" And then he concluded his
supplication with, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given
me, be with me where I am." Melancthon well said there was never a more
excellent, more holy, more fruitful, and more affectionate voice ever
heard in heaven or in earth, than this prayer.

We shall first notice the style of the prayer; secondly, the persons
interested in it; and thirdly, the great petitions offered–the last
head constituting the main part of our discourse.

I. First, notice THE STYLE OF THE PRAYER–it is singular: it is,
"Father, I will". Now, I cannot but conceive that there is something
more in the expression, "I will" than a mere wish.It seems to one, that
when Jesus said "I will," although perhaps it might not be proper to
say that he made a demand, yet we may say that he pleaded with
authority, asking for that which he knew to be his own, and uttering an
"I will" as potent as any fiat that ever sprang from the lips of the
Almighty "Father, I will." It is an unusual thing to find Jesus Christ
saying to God, "I will" You know that before the mountains were brought
forth, it was said of Christ, "in the volume of the book it is written
of me, I delight to do thy will, O God." and we find whilst he was on
earth, that he never mentioned his own will, that he expressly
declared, "I came not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent
me." It is true you do hear him when addressing men, saying "I will,"
for he saith, "I will, be thou clean;" but in his prayers to his Father
he prayed with all humility;

"With sighs and groans he offered up,

His humble suit below."

"I will," therefore, seems to be an exception to the rule; but we must
remember that Christ was now in an exceptional condition. He had never
been before where he was now. He was now come to the end of his work;
he could say, "I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do,"
and therefore, looking forward to the time when the sacrifice would be
complete and he should ascend on high, he sees that his work is done,
and takes his own will back again and saith, "Father, I will."

Now, mark, that such a prayer as this would be totally unbecoming in
our lips. We are never to say, "Father, I will." Our prayer is to be,
"Not my will, but thine be done." We are to mention our wishes, but our
wills are to subside into the will of God. We are to feel that whilst
it is ours to desire, it is God's to will. But how pleasant, I repeat,
it is to find the Saviour pleading with such authority as this, for
this puts the stamp of certainty upon his prayer. Whatsoever he has
asked for in that chapter he shall have beyond a doubt. At other times,
when he pleaded as a Mediator, in his humility he was eminently
successful in his intercessions; how much more shall his prayer prevail
now that he takes to himself his great power, and with authority cries,
"Father, I will." I love that opening to the prayer, it is a blessed
guarantee of its fulfillment, rendering it so sure that we may now look
upon Christ's prayer as a promise which shall be assuredly fulfilled.

II. Thus much concerning the style of the prayer; and now we NOTICE THE
PERSONS FOR WHOM HE PRAYED, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou
hast given me, be with me where I am." This was not an universal
prayer. It was a prayer including within it a certain class and portion
of mankind, who are designated as "those whom the Father had given
him." Now we are taught to believe that God the Father did, from before
the foundation of the world, give unto his Son Jesus Christ a number
whom no man can number, who were to be the reward of his death, the
purchase of the travail of his soul; who were to be infallibly brought
unto everlasting glory by the merits of his passion, and the power of
his resurrection. These are the people here referred to. Sometimes in
Scripture they are called the elect, because when the Father gave them
to Christ he chose them out from among men. At other times they are
called the beloved, because God's love was set upon them of old. They
are called Israel; for like Israel of old, they are a chosen people, a
royal generation. They are called God's inheritance, for they are
especially dear to God's heart; and as a man careth for his inheritance
and his portion, so the Lord careth especially for them.

Let me not be misunderstood. The people whom Christ here prays for, are
those whom God the Father out of his own free love and sovereign good
pleasure ordained unto eternal life, and who, in order that his design
might be accomplished, were given into the hands of Christ the
Mediator, by him to be redeemed, sanctified, and perfected, and by him
to be glorified everlastingly. These people, and none others, are the
object of our Saviour's prayer. It is not for me to defend the
doctrine; it is Scriptural, that is my only defense. It is not for me
to vindicate God from any profane charge of partiality or injustice. If
there be any wicked enough to impute this to him, let them settle the
matter with their Maker. Let the thing formed, if it have arrogance
enough, say to him that formed it, "Why hast thou made me thus?" I am
not God's apologist, he needs no defender. "Who art thou, O man, that
repliest against God? Hath he not, like the potter, power over the
clay, to make one vessel to honor, and another to dishonor?" Instead of
disputing, let us enquire who are these people? Do we belong to them?
Oh! let each heart now put the solemn query, "Am I included in that
happy throng whom God the Father gave to Christ?" Beloved, I cannot
tell you by the mere hearing of your names; but if I know your
character, I can tell you decisively–or rather, you will need no
telling, for the Holy Spirit will bear witness in your hearts that you
are amongst the number. Answer this question–Have you given yourselves
to Christ? Have you been brought, by the constraining power of his own
free love, to make a voluntary surrender of yourself to him? Have you
said, "O Lord other lords have had dominion over me; but now I reject
them, and I give myself up to thee.

'Other refuge have I none;

Hangs my helpless soul on thee;'

and as I have no other refuge, so I have no other Lord. Little am I
worth, but such as I am, I give all I have and all I am to thee. It is
true, I was never worth thy purchasing, but since thou hast bought me,
thou shalt have me. Lord, I make a full surrender of myself to thee."
Well, soul, if thou hast done this, if thou hast given thyself to
Christ, it is but the result of that ancient grant made by Jehovah to
his son long ere the worlds were made. And, once again, canst thou feel
to-day that thou art Christ's? If thou canst not remember the time when
he sought thee and brought thee to himself, yet canst thou say with the
spouse "I am my beloved's?" Can you now from your inmost soul say, Whom
have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon earth that I desire
beside thee! If so, trouble not your minds about election, there is
nothing troublesome in election to you. He that believes is elected, he
who is given to Christ now, was given to Christ from before the
foundation of the world. You need not dispute divine decrees, but sit
down and draw honey out of this rock, and wine out of this flinty rock.
Oh, it is a hard, hard doctrine to a man who has no interest in it, but
when a man has once a title to it, then it is like the rock in the
wilderness, it streams with refreshing water whereat myriads may drink
and never thirst again. Well does the Church of England say of that
doctrine, "is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly
persons." And though it be like the Tarpeian rock, whence many a
malefactor has been dashed to pieces in presumption, yet it is like
Pisgah, from whose lofty summit the spires of heaven may be seen in the
distance. Again, I say, be not cast down, neither let your hearts be
disconsolate. If you be given to Christ now, you are among the happy
number for whom he intercedes above, and you shall be gathered amongst
the glorious throng, to be with him where he is, and to behold his
glory.

III. I very briefly pass over these two points, because I desire to
dwell upon the third, which is, THE PETITIONS WHICH THE Saviour OFFERS.

Christ prayed, if I understand his prayer, for three things–things
which constitute Heaven's greatest joy, Heaven's sweetest employment,
and Heaven's highest privilege.

1. The first great thing he prayed for, is that which is heaven's
greatest joy–"Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me,
be with me where I am." If you notice, every word in the sentence is
necessary to its fullness. He does not say–"I pray that those, whom
thou hast given me, may be where I am;" but, "with me where I am." And
he does not only pray that they might be with him, but that they might
be with him in the same place where he is. And mark! he did not say he
wished his people to be in heaven, but with him in heaven, because that
makes heaven heaven. It is the very pith and marrow of heaven to be
with Christ. Heaven without Christ would be but an empty place it would
lose its happiness, it would be a harp without strings; and where would
be the music?–a sea without water, a very pool of Tantalus. He prayed
then that we might be with Christ–that is our companionship, with him
where he is–that is our position. It seems as if he would tell us,
that heaven is both a condition and a state–in the company of Christ,
and in the place where Christ is.

I might, if I expose, enlarge very much on these points, but I just
throw out the raw material of a few thoughts, that will furnish you
with topics of meditation in the afternoon. Let us now pause and think
how sweet this prayer is, by contrasting it with our attainments on
earth. "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with
me where I am." Ah! brothers and sisters, we know a little of what it
is to be with Christ. There are some happy moments, sweet pauses
between the din of the continued battles of this wearied life there are
some soft times, like couches of rest, wherein we do repose. There are
hour when our Master comes to us, and makes us, or ever we are aware,
like the chariots of Amminadib. It is true, we have not been caught up
to the third heaven, like Paul, to hear words which it is unlawful for
us to utter; but we have sometimes thought that the third heavens have
come down to us. Sometimes I have said within myself, "Well, if this be
not heaven, it is next door to it" and we have thought that we were
dwelling in the suburbs of the celestial city. You were in that land
which Bunyan calls the land Beulah. You were so near to heaven, that
the angels did flit across the stream and bring you sweet bunches of
myrrh, and bundles of frankincense, which grow in the beds of spices on
the hills, and you pressed these to your heart and said with the
spouse, "A bundle of myrrh, is my well beloved unto me. he shall lie
all night betwixt my breasts," for I am ravished with his love and
filled with his delights He hath made himself near to me, he hath
unveiled his countenance and manifested all his love. But, beloved,
while this gives us a foretaste of heaven, we may nevertheless use our
state on earth as a complete contrast to the state of the glorified
above. For here, when we see our Master, it is but at a distance. We
are sometimes we think in his company, but still we cannot help feeling
that there is a great gulf fixed between us, even when we come the
nearest to him. We talk, you know, about laying our head upon his
bosom, and sitting at his feet; but alas! we find it after all to be
very metaphorical, compared with the reality which we shall enjoy
above. We have seen his face, we trust we have sometimes looked into
his heart, and tasted that he is gracious, but still long nights of
darkness lay between us. We have cried again and again with the bride,
"Oh, that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my
mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I
should not be despised. I would lead thee, and bring thee into my
mother's house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of
spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate." We were with him but still
he was in an upper-room of the house, and we below; we were with him
but still we felt that we were absent from him, even when we were the
nearest to him.

Again, even the sweetest visits from Christ, how short they are! Christ
comes and goes very much like an angel; his visits are few and far
between with the most of us, and oh! so short–alas, too short for
bliss. One moment our eyes see him, and we rejoice with joy unspeakable
and full of glory, but again a little time and we do not see him, our
beloved withdraws himself from us; like a roe or a young hart he leaps
over the mountain of division; he is gone back to the land of spices,
and feeds no more among the lilies.

"If to-day he deigns to bless us

With a sense of pardoned sin,

He to-morrow may distress us,

Make us feel the plague within"

Oh, how sweet the prospect of the time when we shall not see him at a
distance, but face to face. There is a sermon in those words, "face to
face." And then we shall not see him for a little time, but

"Millions of years our wondering eyes,

Shall o'er our Saviour's beauties rove;

And myriad ages we'll adore,

The wonders of his love."

Oh, if it is sweet to see him now and then, how sweet to gaze on that
blessed face for aye, and never have a cloud rolling between, and never
have to turn one's eyes away to look on a world of weariness and woe!
Blest days! when shall ye come, when our companionship with Christ
shall be close and uninterrupted?

And let us remark, again, that when we get a glimpse of Christ, many
step in to interfere. We have our hours of contemplation, when we do
draw near to Jesus, but alas! how the world steps in and interrupts
even our most quiet moments–the shop, the field, the child, the wife,
the head, perhaps the very heart, all these are interlopers between
ourselves and Jesus. Christ loves quiet; he will not talk to our souls
in the busy market place, but he says, "Come, my love, into the
vineyard, get thee away into the villages, there will I show thee my
love." But when we go to the villages, behold the Philistine is there,
the Canaanite has invaded the land. When we would be free from all
thought except thought of Jesus, the wandering band of Bedouin thoughts
come upon us, and they take away our treasures, and spoil our tents. We
are like Abraham with his sacrifice; we lay out the pieces ready for
the burning, but foul birds come to feast on the sacrifice which we
desire to keep for our God and for him alone. We have to do as Abraham
did; "When the birds came down upon the sacrifice, Abraham drove them
away." But in heaven there shall be no interruption, no weeping eyes
shall make us for a moment pause in our vision, no earthly joys, no
sensual delights, shall create a discord in our melody; there shall we
have no fields to till, no garment to spin, no wearied limb, no dark
distress, no burning thirst, no pangs of hunger, no weepings of
bereavement; we shall have nought to do or think upon, but for ever to
gaze upon that Sun of Righteousness, with eyes that cannot be blinded,
and with a heart that can never be weary; to lie in those arms for
ever; throughout a whole eternity to be pressed to his bosom, to feel
the beatings of his ever faithful heart; to drink his love; to be
satisfied for ever with his favor, and full with the goodness of the
Lord! Oh! if we have only to die to get to such delights as
these,–death is gain, it is swallowed up in victory.

Nor must we turn away from the sweet thought, that we are to be with
Christ where he is, until we have remembered, that though we often draw
near to Jesus on earth, yet the most we ever have of him, is but a sip
of the well. We sometimes come to the wells of Elim and the seventy
palm trees, but when sitting beneath the palm trees, we feel that it is
just like an oasis; to-morrow we shall have to be treading the burning
sands, with the scorching sky above us. One day we sit down and we
drink from the sweet soft spring, to-morrow we know that we have to be
standing with parched lips over Marah's fount, and crying, "Alas, alas!
it is bitter; I cannot drink thereof" But oh, in heaven, we shall do
what holy Rutherford says, we shall put the well head to our lips and
drink right on from that well that never can be drained, we shall drink
to our souls utmost full. Ay, as much of Jesus as the finite can hold
of infinity shall the believer receive. We shall not then see him for
the twinkling of an eye and then lose him, but we shall see him ever.
We shall not eat of manna that shall be like a small round thing, a
coriander seed, but the manna whereof we feed shall be mountains, the
broad hills of food, there we shall have rivers of delight, and oceans
of ecstatic joy. Oh, it is very hard for us to tell, with all that we
can guess of heaven, how large, how deep, how high, how broad it is.
When Israel ate of that one fair branch which came from Esheol, they
guessed what the clusters of Canaan must be; and when they tasted the
honey they guessed the sweetness. But I warrant no man in all that
host, had any idea of how full that land was of fertility and
sweetness; how the very brooks ran with honey, and the very rocks did
teem with fatness. Nor can any of us who have lived the nearest to our
Master, form more than the faintest guess of what it is to be with
Jesus where he is.

Now all that is wanted to help my feeble description of being with
Jesus, is this–if you have faith in Christ, just think over this fact,
that in a few more months you will know more about it than the wisest
mortal ere can tell. A few more rolling suns, and you and I shall be in
heaven. Go on, O Time! with thy swiftest pinions fly! A few more years,
and I shall see his face. O canst thou say, my hearer, "I shall see his
face?" Come, thou gray-headed one, nearing the goal of life, canst thou
with confidence say, "I know that my Redeemer liveth?" If thou canst
say that, it will fill thy soul with joy. I can never think of it
without being moved to tears. To think that this head shall wear a
crown; that these poor fingers shall strike the harp-strings of
everlasting song; that this poor lip, which now faintly tells the
wonders of redeeming grace, shall join with cherubim and seraphim, and
rival them in melody. Is it not too good to be true? Does it not seem
sometimes as if the very greatness of the thought overwhelmed our
faith? But true it is, and though too great for us to receive it, it is
not too great for God to give. We shall be with him where he is. Yes,
John; thou laidst thy head upon thy Saviour's bosom once, and I have
ofttimes envied thee; but I shall have thy place by-and-bye. Yes, Mary;
it was thy sweet delight to sit at thy Master's feet, while Martha was
cumbered with her much serving. I too, am too much cumbered with this
world; but I shall leave my Martha's cares in the tomb and sit to hear
thy Master's voice. Yes, O spouse, thou didst ask to be kissed with the
kisses of his lips, and what thou askedst for poor humanity shall yet
see. And the poorest, meanest, and most illiterate of you, who have
trusted in Jesus, shall yet put your lip to the lip of your Saviour,
not as Judas did, but with a true "Hail, Master!" you shall kiss him.
And then, wrapped in the beams of his love, as a dim star is eclipsed
in the sunlight, so shall you sink into the sweet forgetfulness of
ecstacy, which is the best description we can give of the joys of the
redeemed. "Father, I will that they whom thou hast given me, be with me
where I am." That is heaven's sweetest joy,–to be with Christ.

2. And now the next prayer is, "that they may behold my glory which
thou hast given me." This is heaven's sweetest employment. I doubt not
there are many joys in heaven which will amplify the grand joy with
which are have just started; I feel confident that the meeting of
departed friends, the society of apostles, prophets priests, and
martyrs, will amplify the joy of the redeemed. But still the sun that
will give them the greatest light to their joy, will be the fact that
they are with Jesus Christ and behold his face. And now there may be
other employments in heaven, but that mentioned in the text is the
chief one, "That they may behold my glory." O for the tongue of angel-O
for the lip of Cherubim! for one moment to depict the mighty scenes
which the Christian shall behold when he seeth the glory of his Master,
Jesus Christ! Let us pass as in a panorama before your eyes the great
scenes of glory which you shall behold after death. The moment the soul
departs from this body, it will behold the glory of Christ. The glory
of his person will he the first thing that will arrest our attention.
There will he sit in the midst of the throne, and our eyes will first
be caught with the glory of his appearance. Perhaps we shall be struck
with astonishment. Is this the visage that was more marred than that of
any man? Are these the hands that once rude iron tore? Is that the head
that once was crowned with thorns. Oh, how shall our admiration rise,
and rise, and rise to the very highest pitch, when we shall see him who
was–

"The weary man, and full of woes

The humble man before his foes,"

now King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. What! are those fire-darting eyes
the very eyes that once wept over Jerusalem? Are those feet shod with
sandals of light; the feet that once were torn by the flinty acres of
the Holy Land? Is that the man, who scarred and bruised was carried to
his tomb? Yes, tis he. And that shall absorb our thoughts–the godhead
and the manhood of Christ; the wondrous feet that he is God over all
blessed for ever, and yet man, bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh.
And when for an instant we have noted this, I doubt not the next glory
we shall see will be the glory of his enthronement. Oh, how will the
Christian stop at the foot of his Master's throne and look upward, and
if there could be tears in heaven, tears of rich delight will roll down
his cheeks when he looks and sees the man enthroned. "Oh," saith he "I
often used to sing on earth Crown him! crown him! crown him! King of
Kings, and Lord of Lords!" And now I see him, up those hills of
glorious light, my soul doth not dare to climb. There, there he sits!
Dark with unsufferable light his skirts appear. Millions of angels bow
themselves around him. The redeemed before his throne prostrate
themselves with rapture. Ah! we shall not deliberate many moments but
taking our crowns in our hands we shall help to swell that solemn pomp,
and casting our crowns at his feet, we shall join the everlasting song,
"Unto him that hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in his blood,
unto him be glory for ever and ever." Can you imagine the magnificence
of the Saviour? Can you conceive how thrones and princes,
principalities and powers, all wait at his beck and command? Ye cannot
tell how well the tiara of the universe doth fit his brow, or how the
regal purple of all worlds doth gird his shoulders; but certain it is,
from the highest heaven to the deepest hell, he is Lord of Lords–from
the furthest east to the remotest west, he is master of all. The songs
of all creatures find a focus in him. He is the grand reservoir of
praise. All the rivers run into the sea, and all the hallelujahs come
to him, for he is Lord of all. Oh, this is heaven–it is all the heaven
I wish, to see my Master exalted; for, this has often braced my loins
when I have been weary, and often steeled my courage when I have been
faint "The Lord also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name
which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus, every knee should
bow, both of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under
the earth."

And then the believer will have to wait a little while, and then he
shall see more glorious things yet. After a few years, he will see the
glories of the latter day. We are told in prophecy, that this world is
to become the dominion of Christ. At present, idolatry, and bloodshed,
and cruelty, and lusts, do reign. But the hour is coming; when this
Augean stable shall be cleansed once and for ever, when these huge
shambles of Aceldama shall yet become the temple of the living God. We
believe that in these times, Christ with solemn pomp will descend from
heaven to reign upon this earth. We cannot read our Bibles and believe
them literally, without believing that there are bright days coming,
when Christ shall sit upon the throne of his father David, when he
shall hold his court on earth, and reign amongst his ancients
gloriously. But oh, if it be so, you and I shall see it, if we belong
to the happy number, who have put their trust in Christ. These eyes
shall see that pompous appearance, when he shall stand in the latter
day upon the earth. "Mine eyes shall see him, and not another's." I
could almost weep to think, that I have lost the opportunity of seeing
Christ on earth as crucified. I do think the twelve apostles were very
highly favored, but when we shall see our Saviour here, and shall be
like our head, we shall think that all deficiencies are made up in the
eternal weight of glory. When from the center to the poles the harmony
of this world shall all be given to his praise, these ears shall hear
it, and when all nations shall join the shout, this tongue shall join
the shout also. Happy men and happy women who have such a hope, so to
behold the Saviour's glory.

And then, after that a little pause. A thousand years shall run their
golden cycle, and then shall come the judgment Christ, with sound of
trumpet, in pomp terrific, shall descend from heaven–Angels shall form
his body-guard. surrounding him on either hand. The chariots of the
Lord are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels. The whole sky shall
be clad with wonders. Prodigies, and miracles shall be as rife and as
plentiful as the leaves upon the trees. The earth shall totter at the
tramp of the Omnipotent; the pillars of the heavens shall stagger like
drunken men, beneath the weight of the eternal splendour–heaven shall
display itself in the sky, while on earth all men shall be assembled.
The sea shall give up its dead; the graves shall yield their tenants
from the cemetery, and the graveyard, and the battle-field, men shall
start in their thousands; and every eye shall see him, and they who
have crucified him. And while the unbelieving world shall weep and wail
because of him, seeking to hide themselves from the face of him that
sitteth upon the throne, believers shall come forward, and, with songs
and choral symphonies, shall meet their Lord Then shall they be caught
up together with the Lord in the air, and after he hath said, "Come, ye
blessed" they shall sit upon his throne, judging the twelve tribes of
Israel; they shall take their seats as assessors upon that awful
judgment bench. and when at the last he shall say, "Depart, ye cursed,"
and his left hand shall open the door of thunder, and let loose the
flames of fire, they shall cry, Amen; and when the earth shall vanish,
and men shall sink into their appointed doom, they gladly seeing the
triumph of their Master, shall shout again, again, again the shout of
victory–"Hallelujah, for the Lord God hath triumphed over all."

And to complete the scene, when the Saviour shall ascend on high for
the last time, his victories all completed, and death himself being
slain, he, like a mighty conqueror about to ride through heaven's
bright streets, shall drag at his chariot wheel hell and death. You and
I, attendants at his side, shall shout the victor to his throne, and
while the angels clap their bright wings and cry, "the Mediator's work
is done," you and I

"Louder than them all shall sing

While heaven's resounding mansions ring,

With shouts of sovreign grace."

We shall behold his glory. Picture whatever splendor and magnificence
you please if you do but conceive it rightly, you shall behold it.

You see people in this world running through the streets a king or a
queen ride through them. How they do climb to their house-tops to see
some warrior return from battle. Ah! what a trifle! What is it to see a
piece of flesh and blood though it be crowned with gold. But oh! what
is it to see the Son of God with heaven's highest honors to attend him,
entering within the pearly gates, while the vast universe resounds with
"Hallelujah! for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth."

3. I must close by noticing the last point, which is this. In our
Saviour's prayer heaven's greatest privilege is also included. Mark, we
are not only to be with Christ and to behold his glory, but we are to
be like Christ and to be glorified with him. Is he bright? So shall you
be. Is he enthroned? So shall you be. Does he wear a crown? So shall
you. Is he a priest? So shall you be a priest and a king to offer
acceptable sacrifices for ever. Mark, that in all Christ has, a
believer has a share. This seems to me to be the sum total, and the
crowning of it all–to reign with Christ, to ride in his triumphal
chariot, and have a portion of his joy; to be honored with him, to be
accepted in him, to be glorified with him. This is heaven, this is
heaven indeed.

And now, how many of you are there here who have any hope that this
shall be your lot? Well said Chrysostom, "The pains of hell are not the
greatest part of hell; the loss of heaven is the weightiest woe of
hell;" to lose the sight of Christ, the company of Christ, to lose the
beholding of his glories, this must be the greatest part of the
damnation of the lost.

Oh, you that have not this bright hope, how is it that you can live?
You are going through a dark world, to a darker eternity. I beseech you
stop and pause. Consider for a moment whether it is worth while to lose
heaven for this poor earth. What! pawn eternal glories for the pitiful
pence of a few moments of the world's enjoyments. No, stop I beseech
you; weigh the bargain ere you accept it. What shall it profit you to
gain the whole world and lose your soul, and lose such a heaven as
this?

But as for you who have a hope, I beseech you hold it fast, live on it,
rejoice in it–

"A hope so much divine,

May trials well endure,

May purge your soul from sense and sin,

As Christ the Lord is pure."

Live near your Master now, so shall your evidences be bright; and when
you come to cross the flood, you shall see him face to face, and what
that is only they can tell who enjoy it every hour.
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