The Death of a Christian

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Source: https://www.logcollegepress.com/blog/2020/2/17/a-rarer-air-where-all-is-fair-lt-newland-on-a-christians-death

LeRoy Tate Newland (1885-1969) was a graduate of Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina; a long-time missionary to Korea; and he served at least two pastorates in the United States as well. He was also a prolific poet. A small number of his poems are available at Log College Press. His major work of poetry is not yet available here: So Rich a Crown: Poems of Faith (1963). One particular poem by Newland has been selected for today’s post. It appears to have been prompted by the 1953 death of L.D. Tester in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, while Newland was serving as pastor of Rumple Memorial Presbyterian Church (source: Donald B. Saunders, For His Cause A Little House: A Hundred Year History of Rumple Memorial Presbyterian Church (1988), p. 114). This poem was also reprinted in the Christian Observer with notice of Newland’s own death in 1969.

A Christian’s Death

And what is death?
A sudden stopping of the breath
That one may breathe a rarer air
Where all is fair.

You say he died.
Can life be greater glorified
Than to unclose pain-wearied eyes
In Paradise?

Is this the end?
He has but gone to meet a Friend
And, dying, found a way
To endless day.

Christian, consider this sweet meditation on the precious death of a saint (Ps. 116:15), and may it help to bring an eternal perspective to the painful event which caused even our Lord Jesus to weep (John 11:35).

Miscellaneous Quotes (119)

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“Preaching is not men teaching from the Bible; it is God teaching from the Bible through men.” – Iain H. Murray

“In preaching we hold out an expectation that God will act upon His word in power and cause change. This is what separates true Biblical preaching from speeches, talks and lectures.” – Elly Achok Olare

“A sermon without application can still be a life-changing sermon if it causes us to see the glory of God in the face of Christ.” – Kevin DeYoung

“If you are not praying, then you are quietly confident that time, money, and talent are all you need in life…But if, like Jesus, you realize you can’t do life on your own, then no matter how busy, no matter how tired you are, you will find the time to pray.” – Paul Miller

“Prayer and sinning will never live together in the same heart. Prayer will consume sin, or sin will choke prayer.” – J.C. Ryle

“We never completely love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and never fully love our neighbor as ourselves. Each day we deserve God’s wrath, but each day we stand before Him in grace, accepted by Him only through the merit of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Jerry Bridges

“Where reason cannot wade there faith may swim.” – Thomas Watson

“Faith may swim where reason may only paddle.” – Charles Spurgeon

“I rest solely in His righteousness and in His atonement because I know there is nothing I can do to make up for my iniquity.” – R C Sproul

“‘Follow your heart’ has ended more marriages, mutilated more bodies, destroyed more souls, and ended more lives that the devil could ever have imagined. It is hell’s most effective slogan yet.” – Nate Pickowiez

“The motto of all true servants of God must be, ‘We preach Christ; and him crucified.’ A sermon without Christ in it is like a loaf of bread without any flour in it. No Christ in your sermon, sir? Then go home, and never preach again until you have something worth preaching.” – Spurgeon

“Legalistic remorse says, ‘I broke God’s rules,’ while real repentance says, ‘I broke God’s heart.’” – Tim Keller

“The New Testament is the final revelation of God and final interpreter of the Old Testament.” – Fred Malone

“Racism is nothing more than collective narcissism: I love my group above all others because I love myself.” – Michael Horton

“If you ask, ‘Why is this happening?’ no light may come, but if you ask, ‘How am I to glorify God now?’ there will always be an answer.” – J. I. Packer

Sinful fear sees only the storm; godly fear trusts the One who commands it.