Multumim pentru randurile dumitale. Aceste gandurile incurajatoare ne-au fost trimise de un frate: To die! – to leave my pangs, and pains, and fears, and woe, my feeble heart, my unbelief, my tremblings and my griefs, and leap into the divine bosom. To die! What have I to lose by death? The tumult of the people and the strife of tongues. A joyous loss indeed! To the believer death is gain, unalloyed gain: to be with Christ (Phil. 1.21). Do we leave our friends by death? We shall see better friends, and more numerous up yonder, in the general assembly and church of the first born, whose names are written in heaven. Do we leave our house and comforts? "There is a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Do we loose our life? Ah no, we gain a better far; for remember that we die to live, and then we live to die no more. Without any fraction of loss, death, death to the believer is a glorious gain. It is greatly wise, then, for a Christian to talk with his last hours, because those last hours are the beginning of his glory. He leaves off to sin and begin to be perfect; he ceases to suffer and begins to be happy; he renounces all his power and shame, and begins to be rich and honored. A muri! – a termina cu junghiurile, durerile si, vai, cu inima mea slaba, cu necredinta mea, cu temerile si necazurile mele si a sari la sanul divin. A muri! Ce am de pierdut prin moarte? Agitatia multimii si certurile. Chiar ca este o pierdere fericita! Pentru credincios moartea este un castig, un castig sigur: a fi cu Hristos (Filip. 1.21). Ne parasim noi prietenii cand murim? Dincolo vom vedea prieteni mai buni si mai numerosi, in Adunarea celor intai-nascuti, ale caror nume sunt scrise in ceruri (Evr.12.23). Ne parasim noi casa si confortul? "Avem o casa eterna in ceruri, nefacuta de maini." Ne pierdem viata? Nu, ci castigam una mai buna, pentru ca, amintiti-va, noi murim pentru a trai si apoi nu vom mai muri. Pentru un credincios moartea nu aduce nici cea mai mica pierdere ci este un castig glorios. Este deci foarte intelept ca un crestin sa vorbeasca despre ultimele sale ore ca fiind inceputul gloriei lui. El se desparte de pacat si incepe sa fie perfect; inceteaza sa mai sufere si incepe sa fie deplin fericit; renunta la toata puterea lui, dar si la rusine si incepe sa fie bogat si onorat. C. H. Spurgeon
