In the early days of the Liverpool City Mission founded in 1829, if a missionary conducted a funeral service he had to record it in a log book in either of two columns, one was headed ‘Deaths’ and the other, ‘Happy Deaths’. When Voltaire, the brilliant French writer who tried to destroy Christianity with his pen was dying, his physician said that he cried out, “I’m abandoned by God and man! I will give you half of what I am worth if you will give me 6 months life. Then I shall go to Hell.” What a contrast between this death and these triumphant words of Bishop Thomas Ken:

Teach me to live that I may dread
The grave as little as my bed,
Teach me to die, that so I may
Rise glorious at the judgement day.

John Wesley (1703-91) who through his gospel preaching saved Britain from a revolution similar to that in France, often said, “Our people die well!” Later from his own death bed he cried out twice, “Best of all is, God is with us!” In a similar vein Catherine Booth, wife of the founder of the Salvation Army said as she was dying, “The waters are rising, but so am I. I am not going under but over!”

It’s a true saying that a baby has no past, only a future! Many wish their sinful past could be wiped out so that they could face the future like a baby with a clean sheet! Happily they can be born again and start life afresh by turning from their sins and trusting Jesus as their Saviour. They will then walk happily with God through life and ultimately into their eternal home beyond the grave. [ John 3:3 ]