A body of divinity by Thomas Watson (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read '1. The death of the righteous' and '2. A believer's privilege at death'
Firstly Watson teaches what is meant by Paul's words:
(i) For to me to live is Christ;
(ii) And to die is gain.
Then Watson looks at the believer's privilege at death:
(i) the saints at death have great immunities and freedoms;
(ii) the bodies of believers are united to Christ in the grave, and shall rest there till the resurrection;
(iii) the souls of believers will pass into glory.
So many wonderful things considered in this passage about heaven.
I found one of the last exhortations from Watson particularly challenging: 'You who are real saints, whose hearts are purified by faith, spend much time in musing upon those glorious benefits which you shall have by Christ at death. Thus might you, by a contemplative life, begin the life of angels here, and be in heaven before your time. Eudoxius was so affected with the glory of the sun, that he thought he was born only to behold it. What should we contemplate but celestial glory, when we shall see God face to face! David was got above the ordinary sort of men; he was in the altitudes when he said, ‘I am ever with thee.’ Psalm 139:18. A true saint every day takes a turn in heaven; his thoughts and desires are, like cherubims, flying up to paradise. Can men of the world delight in looking upon their bags of gold, and fields of corn, and shall not the heirs of heaven take more delight in contemplating their glory in reversion? Could we send forth faith as a spy, and every day view the glory of the Jerusalem above, how would it rejoice us, as it does the heir to think of the inheritance which is to come into his hand shortly?'
I should meditate upon heaven much more than I do!
Next week's reading
Read '3. The resurrection'.
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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