To be near unto God - pagina 605

the nature of disease, degree of weakness, state of nerves, freedom of speech or diffidence, and upon the longer or shorter period of dying. In part, it also depends upon the physician. Whether he conceals the certainty, or at least the probability of the approaching end, or whether frankly and honestly he acquaints the patient with the exact state of things. Again it depends upon family and friends, and upon those who care for the sick, whether they are spiritually inclined, and assist the patient in holy meditations, or whether they provide so-called diversion and vex him with multifarious earthly concerns. If it happens that all this co-operates for good, and that he who is about to appear before God lies for a few days at least with a waiting heart at the gate of eternity, watching for its opening unto him, and meanwhile bearing witness to the power of everlasting life, sometimes in terms which far excel ordinary speech then special grace operates in such a dying person. The Lord truly imparts this special grace to comfort his dying saint, but mostly to glorify himself, and to cause a testimony of striking power to go out from so glorious a death-bed. The desire to pose as a saint is a sin which in its more refined forms cleaves to all religion. It has even been observed in martyrs. This desire would be more generally in evidence if the Lord God

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did not prevent it by weakness and disease. And in this prevention of making a show of one's piety we are bound to appreciate grace. But sometimes dying grace shows itself in a higher form, 'when soniething of almost prophetic inspiration takes hold of a dying saint. This was strongly .

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