Ray's Blog

Never better

“Be not afraid at His sweet, lovely and desirable cross, for although I have not been able because of my wounds to lift up or lay down my head but as I was helped, yet I was never in better case all my life. . . . He has so wonderfully shined on me with the sense of His redeeming, strengthening, assisting, supporting, through-bearing, pardoning and reconciling love, grace and mercy that my soul doth long to be freed of bodily infirmities and earthly organs, so that I may flee to His Royal Palace, even the Heavenly Habitation of my God, where I am sure of a crown put on my head and a palm put in my hand and a new song in my mouth, even the song of Moses and of the Lamb, so that I may bless, praise, magnify and extol Him for what He hath done to me and for me. . . . Farewell, my children, study holiness in all your ways, and praise the Lord for what He hath done for me, and tell all my Christian friends to praise Him on my account.  Farewell, sweet Bible, and wanderings and contendings for truth.  Welcome, death.  Welcome, the City of my God where I shall see Him and be enabled to serve Him eternally with full freedom.  Welcome, blessed company, the angels and spirits of just men made perfect.  But above all, welcome, welcome, welcome, our glorious and alone God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost; into Thy hands I commit my spirit, for Thou art worthy.  Amen.”

Last and dying testimony of John Nisbet (1627-1685), quoted in Jock Purves, Fair Sunshine: Character Studies of the Scottish Covenanters (Edinburgh, 1990), pages 92-93.

This post was originally published on The Gospel Coalition