I always turn to The Loveliness of Christ when I want to hear an old, godly, Scots preacher offer comfort to his people. This little book is a selection from his letters, mostly letters of comfort to suffering saints. Doug is conducting a funeral service this morning for a little two-week old saint. And of course I found something right away from Rutherford.
The child hath but changed a bed in the garden, and is planted up higher, nearer the sun, where he shall thrive better than in this out-field moor-ground.
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Oh, that’s beautiful. I like that you used the word saint for the baby. Thank you. I’m sorry for the loss.
That is a great quote. I guess it’s about time to get the book 😉 Sinclair Ferguson says of the work (in a foreword he wrote quoted by Monergism Books), “Surprising though it may seem in a world of large books, of all those owned by our family this may be the one we have most often lent or quoted to friends. It is full of rich spiritual wisdom and insight culled from the experience of a man who knew both the sorrows of life and the joys of faith in great abundance…. I pray that many readers will find here the help, comfort, wise counsel, and spiritual compass that we and our friends have so often discovered in meditating on these pages.”
How gracious God is to have given us men like the Puritans and the similar Jonathan Edwards and to have preserved their words in ink! The men shine so brightly and lively in this dark, sleepy world.
This topic has been one on my mind lately. I have several friends that have lost babies. I have always been taught that all babies go to heaven when they die, and I want so much to believe that. Is there scripture that discusses this directly? I guess I just want to know the truth, whether I like it or not. Please forgive me if this seems insensitive to ask, considering your loss.
That is is book that you sent Shana and Osh when Liam passed and it was such a source of comfort. Having the right perspective on losing a child/grandchild brings comfort and hope and a deeper longing for our true home. We now pass them out whenever we meet someone who is suffering a loss. I am so thankful that Jim and Bessie Wilson made the booklet readily available. See you soon!
Ashley,
First, if you’d like to read my husband’s homily from the funeral, you’ll see it listed up this page on the left hand column under Blog and Mablog, Levi Jachin Hicks.
Secondly, yes, we have biblical warrant to believe that all covenant babies go to heaven. And it may be that all babies go to heaven (even those outside the covenant), though the Scripture does not speak directly to that. That might be a good topic for a future blog post. I’ll have to do my homework first!
Thank you, Ashley, for having the courage to ask the question I too, have been wondering. I believe that all children go to heaven, though some in my church believe otherwise. To me, that is just a bit too hyper-Calvanist. It seems to me that Jesus dealt differently with children, and I just have a hard time believing that children are punished for sins they have no way of understanding or repenting for. Maybe this is largely due to that fact that I’m a mother, and my brain just can’t go there. Anyway, a post would be much appreciated, Nancy!
What a lovely homily Mr Wilson delivered for little Levi. I pray that it was a comfort to Levi’s parents.
It positively warms my heart to see Christian parents who stand against the medical dogma of “non-viable” little babes and who, instead, trust the Lord of life and who so lovingly care for these little ones for as long as He gives them to do so. As Jesus said, those who do it for the least of these, do so to Him.
I don’t know if you’ve seen the story about little Faith Hope http://www.babyfaithhope.blogspot.com . She is a little girl with anencephaly who turned 2 months old today. She can hear and see and feel. Everything the doctors said she wouldn’t be able to do because of her disability. Modern science has taught us much, but the Creator has made His creation a lot more complex than we give Him credit for. The importance of our lives is not measured by our brainwaves.
Thank you for the Rutherford. I’ll be on the lookout for that book.
In Him
Meredith
Thanks so much for this! Rachel gave me a copy of the Rutherford booklet and it has blessed me so much. I will have to check out the homily, I’m so glad he posted it because I thought it was great! 🙂
Also, Meredith- Levi is my baby, and my husband and I had followed Faith’s blog, and we are grateful she has been so diligent to post. I hope more people will choose to carry anencephalic babies to term knowing that they could live for more than a couple hours. Our 16 days with Levi were the greatest!
Bethany
May God continue to richly bless you.
In Him
Meredith