The Scriptures confront us with a truth that the proud heart hates to ponder man is but dust. Beauty, wealth, strength, and status all of these perish at the grave's edge. What is frailer than the body? It is but a heap of dust, held together by the breath of God and when He withdraws it, it returns to the earth from whence it came. So do not boast in outward beauty, or earthly treasure.
Death makes the greatest beauty so loathsome, that it must be buried out of sight! The fairest face, so admired in life, will in time become an object of horror. The smooth skin will shrivel. The bright eyes will dim. The laughter, the voice, the charm will be silenced forever in death. The body, now so tenderly cared for, shall be turned into a lump of corruption, and lie moldering in the dust.
Death will strip you of all your ornaments, tear the mask from your face, and leave you loathsome to those who once admired you. Your corpse shall be carried to the grave, the house appointed for all living; and there the worms shall cover you yes, the worms shall feed sweetly on you.
What has become of the loveliness that once charmed the eyes of beholders? Death has blasted it! And what of the fine clothing, and the gold and glitter of this world? The finest clothes are but badges of our sin and shame. Soon enough, they will be exchanged for a burial shroud. And the body, no matter how pampered or praised, will become a feast for worms!
Such truths are not morbid. They are merciful. For they will strip away our illusions and compel us to look beyond this vain and fleeting world.
At every funeral we attend, we should ever hearken to death's voice, for it always says to us: "I am coming for you soon!"
[Thomas Boston]
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Hebrews 9:27 ... And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Genesis 3:19 ... In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Psalm 49:14 ... Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling. ❤
