Psalm 31:5 Into your hand I commit my spirit: you have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth. I. DYING IN A SAINT'S ACCOUNT IS A DIFFICULT WORK. 1. It is an untried work. 2. It is a final farewell to the present world. 3. It is to put off or lay down the body, no more to be re-assumed till the general resurrection at the end of the world. 4. Our probation is at an end. 5. To die is a great and difficult work, seeing thereupon the soul removes into a new state and world. To remove from one kingdom or country to another, is a great thing; but how much greater to remove into a new world! a world we have not seen, and are little acquainted with. 6. We have to meet God as our Judge, who will order our soul to its unchangeable state and place in the eternal world. For all these reasons to die is always difficult. And it is more so if death find us in the dark as to our title to the life to come. Conscience may be filled with terror under the sense of sin, and dread of deserved wrath. Sin, unpardoned sin, is the sting of death, as drawing after it an everlasting hell; and the very suspicion of this is enough to make the heart to tremble. God in our last moments may hide Himself, or withdraw the light of His countenance; and what distress follows upon this, none can tell but those that have felt it. It is no wonder that such circumstances make dying work peculiarly hard. II. THE CHILDREN OF GOD CONSIDERING THEMSELVES AS DYING, ARE CHIEFLY CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR IMMORTAL SOULS. The psalmist here was so; he had prayed for temporal salvation in the words of this psalm before my text, but did not insist mainly upon it. However it was as to his body, his great care was with reference to his soul; O Lord, into Thy hand I commit my spirit: let that be safe, and I shall be satisfied. (Anon.) Parallel Verses KJV: Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.WEB: Into your hand I commend my spirit. You redeem me, Yahweh, God of truth. |