Friday, December 4, 2015

    I have heard of a land far away,
    And its glories no tongue can declare;
    But its beauty hangs over the way,
    And with Jesus I long to be there.

    There are foretastes of heaven below,
    There are moments like joys of the blest;
    But the splendors no mortal can know,
    Of the land where the weary shall rest.

    In that noontide of glory so fair,
    In the gleam of the river of life,
    There are joys that the faithful shall share;
    O how sweetly they rest from the strife!

    There the ransomed with Jesus abide
    In the shade of the sheltering fold;
    Evermore by Immanuel’s side,
    They shall dwell in the glory untold.

    Chorus:   
    To be there, to be there,
    And with Jesus I long to be there;
    To be there, to be there,
    And with Jesus I long to be there.
                                       Rev. W. O. Cushing


And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.....Rev 19:9

Believe it, a saint hath rare fare, gallant cheer, and rich diet, and all at free cost.  He is feasted all the day long; he is brought oft into the banqueting-house, and hath the rarest, the costliest, the wholesomest diet, that which is most hearty and strengthening, that which is most dainty and pleasant, and the greatest variety, and nothing is wanting, that may make his state happy, except a full enjoyment of glory itself.  The Lord gives him all the experiences of his power and goodness to his Church in former ages to feed his hopes upon; nay, many choice providences, many answers of prayer, many foretastes of glory, many ordinances, especially that great one of the Lord’s Supper, at which Christ and all his benefits are served up in a royal dish to refresh and feast the faith, hope, and love of the saints.  And that which sweetens all this he knows that all this is but a little to what he shall shortly live upon when he comes to the marriage-supper; then he shall always be feasted and never surfeited.  And beside all this, he hath the sweet and refreshing incomes of the Spirit, filling him with such true pleasure, that he can easily spare the most sumptuous banquet, the noblest feast, and highest worldly delights, as infinitely short of one hour’s treatment in his Friend’s chamber.  And, if this be his entertainment in the inn, what shall he have at the court?  If this heavenly manna be his food in the wilderness, at what rate is he like to live when he comes into Canaan?  If this be the provision of the way, what is that of the country?            
                                                                                                                     John Janeway, about 1670  


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