The night before his death, he broke out in the following language, expressive of his comfort, peace and joy, "Farewell world—the pleasures, profits, and honors of the world! Farewell sin! I shall forever be with the Lord! Farewell my dear wife, farewell my dear children, farewell my servants, and farewell my spiritual children."
With the latter, he left the following advice, "Be careful in your choice of a pastor; choose one who in his doctrine, life, and manners, may adorn the gospel. I shall be glad to meet you all in heaven."
The approach of the last enemy he hailed thusly, "Hasten, hasten, oh hasten death! Where is your bow, where your arrows? Come, come, come, I am yet in the body, I am yet on earth—but it is heaven, heaven, heaven I would gladly be at! I seek death—but cannot find it. How long, O Lord, holy and true?"
He could scarcely reconcile the thoughts of his recovery, and said to his physician, "Why do you come to keep me out of heaven?" His holy longing to be with Christ he expressed thus, "Dear Jesus, come and take me away! I have no business here; my work is done, my hour-glass has run out, my strength is gone, why shall I stay behind? Oh, come, come! Be as a roe upon the mountains of spices. How long shall I wait and cry? How long shall I be absent from You? Oh, come and take me to Yourself, and give me possession of that happiness which is above—the vision of Yourself, perfect likeness to Yourself, full fruition of Yourself, without any interruption or end! O come, dear Jesus, how long before You send Your chariots? O come down to me—and take me up to You!"
With the latter, he left the following advice, "Be careful in your choice of a pastor; choose one who in his doctrine, life, and manners, may adorn the gospel. I shall be glad to meet you all in heaven."
The approach of the last enemy he hailed thusly, "Hasten, hasten, oh hasten death! Where is your bow, where your arrows? Come, come, come, I am yet in the body, I am yet on earth—but it is heaven, heaven, heaven I would gladly be at! I seek death—but cannot find it. How long, O Lord, holy and true?"
He could scarcely reconcile the thoughts of his recovery, and said to his physician, "Why do you come to keep me out of heaven?" His holy longing to be with Christ he expressed thus, "Dear Jesus, come and take me away! I have no business here; my work is done, my hour-glass has run out, my strength is gone, why shall I stay behind? Oh, come, come! Be as a roe upon the mountains of spices. How long shall I wait and cry? How long shall I be absent from You? Oh, come and take me to Yourself, and give me possession of that happiness which is above—the vision of Yourself, perfect likeness to Yourself, full fruition of Yourself, without any interruption or end! O come, dear Jesus, how long before You send Your chariots? O come down to me—and take me up to You!"
