A Faith to Die By by George D. Ballou

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Dec 4, 1884

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 46.

A Faith to Die By.

By George D. Ballou

To QUIT the active scenes of life and be shut in with death is the most trying ordeal incident to a living, sentient being. Very few there are who can calmly entertain thoughts of the grim monster. The chill of his icy touch shivers our brightest earthly hopes and aspirations. To stand in his presence and hear his dread summons—how the helpless soul then feels the need of support and comfort which no earthly power can give! and how utterly vain do all terrestrial things appear. In that hour a hope which spans the silent, cheerless valley, is a blessed hope; a faith that looks beyond with perfect trust, and triumphs over every fear, is more precious than all earth's costliest treasures.

There is a hope which buoys up the fainting, dying soul; it is the hope of the gospel. Jesus is its author. He has been down into death's prison-house, and has returned, bringing the keys with him. He has promised eternal life to all them that truly accept him as their advocate and Saviour, and lead lives of penitence and obedience. The record he has left us is perfectly adapted to meet the desires and wants of his followers. The assurance that he will ransom us from the power of the grave, and redeem us from death, is full of comfort to every soul that is susceptible of divine impressions.

A dying queen of England cried out in the hour of death, "My kingdom for a moment of time." What a relief to her agonized mind would the Christian's hope have been! What would you not give in the last hour for its comforting assurances? A faith to die by, one that will sustain and comfort, must be a faith that we have lived by. Many think that they will secure this faith after it is too late to do anything else. Such make a fatal mistake; if they have scorned to live by the faith of Jesus, they ought not to be base enough to proffer him the fag-end of a life of presumption. Such conversions are a farce, and a libel on the name of Christianity.

I have known many who, after a life of recklessness and dissipation, thinking their last hour had come, have become very penitent and religious, but who, when health and strength returned, have taken again to their old ways. It requires something more than the fear of the gates of hades to convert the soul to God, and beget a living hope within. A noble, generous sense of gratitude to God for all his boundless goodness, is the true motive. This will lead to such a life as will give a conscience void of offense toward God and man, and secure God's favor. Penitent, contrite sorrow for sin, and earnest faith in Christ, will always characterize such a life.

There may be cases in the hour of death where for the first time the individual is brought face to face with his relations to God, and in such cases they may obtain mercy. But let us not try to build our personal hopes on such a foundation. If we do, it will only prove a failure. The death-bed is too near the harvest-time to begin sowing. Then our battles should be all fought, and our victories won. There will be far less anguish of spirit then if we have lived for a faith to die by. We shall not be judged nor rewarded according to our feeling in death, but according to our actions in life. There are many rules to live by, but none to die by. God wants living Christians, to carry forward his work. If we live right, we need not worry about death. God for Christ's sake will comfort us when we walk through the dark valley. What a consolation to look back and feel that we have done the best we could for Christ and humanity. We shall then have enough to regret. But how precious the hope that Christ will, through his love and mercy, accept our imperfect efforts to serve him, and raise us to immortal life in his kingdom.

Secure this hope now while you are strong and active. Do not wait for the approach of death to drive you to your knees. Let the proud heart yield to the divine will. Join in the work the Lord is now doing in the earth. Help to spread the gospel of the kingdom to the nations of the earth. Jesus will soon come, and if you have a living faith in him, you may have eternal life, without passing through the gates of death. This will be the privilege of the remnant, who faithfully finish the Master's work in the earth. The living faith will sustain you in any event; so that, whether you live or die, you will be the Lord's. Don't plan for death, but for eternal life in God's kingdom.

G. D. BALLOU.