12 OCTOBER (1873)

‘Forever with the Lord’

‘To be with Christ; which is far better.’ Philippians 1:23
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: 2 Timothy 4:6–18

Picture yourself sitting in a gloomy dungeon, a captive of the cruel tyrant Nero, and under the supervision of the infamous prefect Tigellinus, the most detestable of Nero’s attendants. Conceive yourself as expecting soon to be taken out perhaps to such a horrible death as the refined cruelty of the monster had often devised, as, for instance, to be smeared with bituminous matter and burned in the despot’s garden to adorn a holiday. What would be your feelings?

If you were not a Christian I should expect you to tremble with the fear of death, and even if you were a believer, I should not marvel if the flesh shrunk from the prospect. Paul was an utter stranger to any feeling of the kind. He had not the slightest dread of martyrdom. He calls his expected death a departure, a loosing of the cable which holds his ship to the shore, and a putting forth upon the main ocean. So far from being afraid to die, he stands fully prepared, waits patiently, and even anticipates joyfully the hour when his change shall come.

On the other hand, I can imagine that amidst the miseries of a wretched prison, subject to frequent insults from a rude soldiery, you might be seized with a desire to escape from life. Good men have felt the power of that feeling. Elijah said, ‘take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.’ Job sighed to be hidden in the grave, and often, under far less afflictions than those which vexed the apostle, good men have said, ‘Would God this life were at an end and these miseries over; I am weary; when will death release me?’

I see nothing of that in the apostle; he is not restive under the chain; there is not a trace of impatience about him. He joyfully admits that to be with Christ is far better, but sees reasons for remaining here and therefore cheerfully submits to whatever may be the Lord’s will. His mind is so wrapped up with God and free from self that he cannot choose. What a blessed state to be in!

FOR MEDITATION: Consider the words which sum up Paul’s state of mind as he faced difficult circumstances and an uncertain future—ready (Acts 21:13), expectation and hope (Philippians 1:20), content (Philippians 4:11). His secret is surely to be found in Isaiah 26:3 and Philippians 4:6–7.


C. H. Spurgeon and Terence Peter Crosby, 365 Days with Spurgeon (Volume 4), (Leominster, UK: Day One Publications, 2007), 296.

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When, therefore, anything evil tortures us, without in turn extorting evil from us, not only do we possess our souls through patience, but, when through suffering the body itself is afflicted or lost temporarily, it actually regains lasting stability and happiness, and through death and pain it secures inviolable health and endless happiness. Hence, when our Lord Jesus exhorted His martyrs to patience, He even promised them integrity of the body without the loss, not of a limb, let me say, but even of a single hair of their heads. ‘Amen, I say to you,’ were His words, ‘not a hair of your head shall perish.’1 And ‘since no one,’ as the Apostle says, ‘ever hated his own flesh,’2 a faithful man more by patience than impatience keeps vigilant watch over the state of his flesh and sees compensation for the losses of this present life, however serious they may be, in the inestimable gain of future incorruption.

Augustine of Hippo, Treatises on Various Subjects, 1952, 16, 242.

17 AUGUST (UNDATED SERMON)

A visit to the harvest field

‘Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.’ James 5:7–8
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Psalm 37:1–9

There is a story told of Mr Hill being on board a vessel once. It is said he heard the mate swear and afterwards he heard the captain use a profane oath. I think Mr Hill interposed as the captain was about to swear again and said, ‘No, let us be fair. Your mate has sworn and you have had an oath. Now it is my turn to swear.’ The captain looked at him somewhat astonished, but had to admit that there was a degree of rightness and propriety in every man having his turn. However, Mr Hill did not swear and the captain said, ‘I suppose, sir, you don’t mean to take your turn; you don’t mean to swear.’ ‘Oh yes,’ said the good old man, ‘I mean to swear as soon as ever I can see the good of it.’

We might do the same with our impatience. Let us be impatient as soon as ever we can see the use it will serve. If the farmer should want rain just now, his impatience would not influence the clouds and make them pour out their torrents. If a child happened to be very petulant, and have a very noisy tongue and a mischievous disposition, the mother’s impatience would not calm the child, control its temper, still its fitful passion or subdue its stubborn humour. Whatever happens to you, there is nothing can happen to you worse than your being impatient, for of all troubles in the world that one can be troubled with, an impatient spirit is about the worst. O that you would endeavour to conquer impatience. It cast Satan out of heaven, when he was impatient at the honour and dignity of the Son of God. He was impatient at being a servant to his Maker and was driven from his high estate. Let us be rid of impatience which made Cain kill his brother and which has done a thousand mischievous things since. May God grant us to watch and wait patiently like the husbandman.

FOR MEDITATION: Anxiety and impatience are powerless to promote physical growth (Luke 12:25–26), but they are without doubt able to stunt the spiritual growth which patience can produce (Romans 5:3–4; James 1:3–4; 2 Peter 1:6).


C. H. Spurgeon and Terence Peter Crosby, 365 Days with Spurgeon (Volume 3), (Leominster, UK: Day One Publications, 2005), 237.