Eternal Joy

“And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and 30Tne to Slon with Bongs, and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall foi ever flee away.” — Isa. xxxv. 10.

Believer I leave thy Bozo in the cloud’ behind thee; and with thine eye on the “Rainbow round about the throne” (Rev. iv. 8), think of the gladsome return of God’s ransomed ones to Ziou — every tear-drop dried, every pang forgotten!

Once wanderers “in the wilderness, in a solitary way;” prisoners “bound with affliction and iron;” mariners struggling in a tempest (Ps. cvii. 4, 10, 23); mark the termination of their chequered history. God is not only represented as succoring their fainting souls, shivering in pieces their chains, and enabling them to buffet the angry surges; but He leads the pilgrims to “a city of habitation;” He rescues the captives from “darkness and the shadow of death.” He brings the storm-tossed seamen to their “desired haven,’’ and puts the “everlasting song” into the L’ps of all, “OA that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men /” (Ps. cvii. 7, 14, 30).

Sorrowing one! tossed on life’s stormy sea, soon will that peacefal haven be thine. From the sunlit shores of glory, each and all of thy trials will be seen to be special proofs of thy Heavenly Father’s faithfulness, — encircled with a halo of love I Thou mayest now be going forth “weeping,” bearing thy precious seed, but thou shalt “doubtless come again with rejoicing J bringing thy sheaves with thee.”

As some seeds require on earth to be steeped in water before they germinate, so is immortal seed ofttimes here steeped in tears. But ‘’Hhey that sow in tears shall reap in JOY.” Though “weeping” may endure for the night, ^’/oy Cometh in the morning 1” “You are,” .says Rutherford, “upon the entry of Heaven’s harvest; the losses that I write of are but summer showers, and the Sun of the new Jerusalem shall quickly dry them up.” The “song of the night” shall then blend with the song of the skies, and inner, glorious meanings will be disclosed to sight, which are now hidden from the eye of faith I

“Sorrow and sighing shall for ever flee away!”

“Ko sickness, no sorrow, no pain,” said an aged saint now entered on these glorious realities; “but this is only Thy negative. What, O God! must be Thy positive?” ‘’Songs;’ ‘’everlasting joy;’ “joy and gladness,^’’ It will be song upon song, joy upon joy, gladness upon gladness I These songs of Heaven will be “” songs of degrees The ransomed will be ever graduating in bliss, mounting ‘’from glory to glory,” each song suggesting the keynote of a louder and loftier.

Reader 1 art thou mourning the loss of those who “are not;” the music of whose voices is hushed for the for-ever of time, and who have left thee to travel companionless and alone the wilderness journey? A few more fears, a fev more iears and thou shalt meet them iD

ETERNAL JOY. Ill

the day-break of glory! ISTay, more; they have but anticipated thee in an earlier crown. If they have left thee behind for a little season to continue thy night-sou g; think with bounding heart of that eternal day, when, looking back on the clouds floating in the far distance in the nether Valley, thou shalt be able to join in the anthem said to be sung by the four-and- twenty elders as they gaze on the throne encircled by the “Rainbow of emerald;” for “ihey rest not day and nighty saying Holy, holy, holy. Lord God Almighty I” (Rev. iv. 3, 8).

“Lord of our souls 1 Thou Saviour ever dear,

Be still our Rainbow in the clouds of life;

In Thy pur-e sunlight melt each rising tear, —

Our Arc of Triumph in the scenes of strife.

Radiant with mercy, calm the sinking heart,

And beam through sorrow’s night and suflf’ring’s gloom, A deathless Iris that will not depart,

But shine with hues unfading o’er the tomb I”