Thomas Halyburton
About five in the morning, when he was asked to lie quiet and try if he could rest, he answered, “No, no, should I lie here altogether useless? Should I not spend the last portion of my strength to show forth His glory?” He held up his hands (his hands and legs were greatly swollen) and said, “Lame hands and lame legs, but see a lame man leaping and rejoicing!”
Speaking of his children to his wife, he said, “They are all a devoted thing to the Lord; and I can say, sometimes, when they were baptised, that the Lord helped me to devote them to Him and bade me bring the rest, and He would accept them”.
Afterwards finding some disorder in his body, he said, “This is just one of the forerunners of the change, the great change”. Someone said, “Blessed be the Lord that He is providing you with relief”. He replied, “His Word is a good word; and He has been condescending, astonishingly condescending! And I am even made to say, Why are His chariot wheels so long a-coming? (Judg 5:28). When shall I be admitted to see the glory of the higher house and, instead of that cloudy light of a created sun, to see that clear and perfect glory and the Lamb in the midst of the throne?”
After a while’s silence in the forenoon, finding himself very low, he took farewell of his wife and children, greeting them all one by one, and spoke particularly to each of them. Then he said, “A kind and affectionate wife you have been to me; the Lord bless you, and He shall bless you”.
To a minister who came in, he said, “I am at a trying work; I am parting with my wife and children. Resolve on that, I bless His name, though I have had one of the best of wives, yet she is no more mine, but the Lord’s.”
Then to his children he said, “Now you are fatherless; your father is to be taken from you, but seek God. I had you from the Lord, and I give you to Him. Now I leave you upon Him; you are no more mine.”
To his son he said, “God bless the lad, and let my name be named upon him. But O what is my name? Let the name of the Lord be named upon him. I do not say, Keep up my name; but O that you may be honoured to tell the generation following how good God is and to hand down the testimony! And O that you may all be the Lord’s.”
After that, he spoke to his servants and said, “As for you, my servants that
1This is a further edited extract from “an account of some of his last words on his death-bed”, in 1712, taken from Faith and Experience, volume 4 of the James Begg Society edition of Halyburton’s Works. This is the second of two articles at present, giving an account of what he said on September 19. The previous article appeared in October.
have been in my family, my dear friends, make religion your main business and mind that above all things. I charge all my servants in my house, beware of graceless masters. Avoid them, as what may turn to your destruction; seek to be with them that fear the Lord.”
Then he said, “I will not bring up an ill report on religion; nay, I cannot but give a testimony to it: ‘Tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed’ (Rom 5:3-5). God has shed abroad His love in my heart, and I am waiting for His salvation. Here is a demonstration of the reality of religion: that I a poor, weak, timorous man, once as much afraid of death as any – I that have been many years under the terrors of death – come now in the mercy of God and by the power of His grace, composedly and with joy, to look death in the face. I have seen it in its paleness and all the circumstances of horror attending it; I dare look it in the face in its most ghastly shape and hope within a little to have the victory.” Then he said, “I hope He will deal tenderly; but pray for me that my ‘faith fail not’ (Lk 22:32); I loved to live preaching Christ and love to die preaching Christ”.
To some ministers that had come in, he said, “My brethren, I have been taking farewell of wife and children; I have been giving them up to God, from whom I received them. I am upon the wing of eternity; but glory to God, I know in whom I have believed (2 Tim 1:12).”
Then he said, “Dear brethren, will you begin and speak a word to one who longs to hear of Christ? I love to hear the gospel! I love to preach it; it is a joyful sound, a sweet sound; I love to hear of His name; His ‘name is as ointment poured forth’ (Song 1:3); the efficacy lies here: they are His ordinances, His institutions, and He has promised to bless them. That makes me desire them. The gospel as dispensed is the ‘ministration of the Spirit’ (2 Cor 3:8). I have need of grace that I may be helped to stand to it to the last, and in the last conflict to honour Him.”
Someone said, “God has been gracious to you hitherto, and you know He is always the same; He is the same to those that belong to Him. Here is a good word: ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee’ (Heb 13:5).” He answered, “Blessed be His name that He will stand by me. O to have Him shut my eyes Himself and then to open them, that I may behold Him in His own light.”
Afterwards he said, “Well, Sirs, what shall we say of the Lord Christ? ‘He is altogether lovely’ (Song 5:16). Religion is a mystery; but I was looking through the promises this night, and observing how to provide against the last conflict. I was astonished and at a stand when I saw the sweet accomplishment of them; every promise of the Word of God is sweet; they are sure
promises. O Sirs, study the Word; observe the accomplishment of it; it was the thing I loved all my days, and it is sweet to the last. O the accomplishment of the Word is worthy to be observed, and especially when I was looking this same night to what He has already fulfilled to me.”
To a minister he said, “Now, Sir, though I will not limit the Lord as to time, I am expecting the onset from the last enemy; and I know not but I may get my enemies about me ere then.”
Then exhorting some to think on death, he said, “To remember death is a profitable thing; to remember death is not to go to churchyards and visit tombs, but it lies in this: to be habitually under the impression of death in its rise and cause, in its present state and relation to both covenants, the various issues and consequences of it and the way of delivery from it and all the circumstances attending it.”
Then, as to his spiritual enemies, he said, “I think I am now almost out of their hand”. Someone said, “That is a great victory”. He answered, “I dare not speak of victory; but He holds me up, though I cannot keep pace. I am afraid to speak, lest a cursed enemy, namely self, lie at the door to catch; for when I had the greatest advantages, I have felt corruption stirring and making no small work, inclining me to spoil my Lord of His glory.”
Someone said, “We shall neither under mercies nor afflictions be free of this trial”. He said, “O strange that when death has so long been kept in view, it should be so!” Someone said, “You have reason to count it a victory that the Lord has helped you over your recent fears. You know what a dread you had on Wednesday, and what a sweet relief you got.” He answered, “I desire to bless His name for it, but I should yet have as great a dread if He should withdraw. Holy fear, caution and jealousy are still needful.”
After that, he said to the ministers: “Brethren, I take this opportunity to acknowledge your tenderness to me, that I am most unworthy of it in many respects. I can say I desired to live in love with you, and I bless God there was harmony amongst us. The Lord bless you and your labours; the Lord himself multiply spiritual blessings on you and your families, support you against discouragements, and the Lord in mercy look on the rising generation. The Lord keep His hands about the schools in this place. God look with pity on them.”
Then he said to one of them: “My dear brother, who has been my comfort in affliction, stand your ground; quit yourself like a man; be strong. Now, my dear friend, I shall only say, as I wish you the blessing of God on your family, so I desire that you will even show kindness to the dead, in sympathy and kindness to my dear wife and children. I recommend her to your care; she has been the friend of my bosom, the wife of my youth, a faithful friend.”
And turning to all the ministers present, “O Sirs, check my poor babies if ye see anything in them disorderly; I have lent and devoted them to the Lord. Last spring the Lord has made proof of it, and has taken me at my word.2 Sirs, it is an evidence of the decay of religion that sympathy and love among the saints are decayed. O that the Spirit were poured out from on high!”
Then he said, “Pray, Sirs, pray for grace. I would have the praise of the victory to Him.” Afterwards he said, “Patience must have its perfect work. I will wait for it; my soul longs more than they that wait for the morning. Sweet Lord Jesus, make haste, ‘until the day break, and the shadows flee away’ (Song 2:17). Then to a minister he said, “Pray a word for patience to me to stand this last trial”.