I came across on the internet a very unusual, spiritual, and old testimony from a young Christian man who was dying, but who was also given a sweeping, clear and rich view of the heaven that he was so soon to enter in upon himself. His name was Andrew Welwood, the son of a Scottish minister and brother of yet another well known minister in their day, but now all gone on to glory. This man Andrew Welwood also inspired to enter the christian ministry himself, but was taken ill with consumption, where he lingered for months upon the very edge of eternity, all the while enjoying enviable and rare foretastes of that heavenly glory. The work is mostly unknown of today, and I don't find very many dates in my 214 p. copy at all which was printed in 1824, but I did find out that it was first printed in 1721, although I don't know exactly when he was born or died. I only typed out one long paragraph for you to read, (if you wish,) as a sample of the work, where you can easily detect that he was both an educated man, the language use of their day, but a real believer who was consumed in glorious spiritual raptures over his imminent translation unto glory.
From: Meditations representing A GLIMPSE OF GLORY;
or, A gospel discovery of EMMANUEL'S LAND"
"...And of the beauty and sweetness wherewith this blessed land is adorned! Earth in its May-clothing, with its various beauties, appeared somewhat delightsome before; but all former apprehensions are swallowed up; all the senses and faculties are lost in the endless maze of infinite varieties of beauties and excellencies. Are not the eyes almost ravished from their proper orbs, by the strong attractive virtue of ravishing objects? Are they not dazzled and confounded? What varieties! What glories! What numberless numbers! Every object is enough to allure unto ravishment: but the conspiration of them all cannot be told. How are the ears charmed with numberless variety of melodious raptures! So that the ears become harmony itself. How do incessant and full gales of odoriferous exhalations perfume and fill with a passing sweetness, not only the brain, but every vein, artery and sinew: that which enters the mouth, every where, surpasseth Ambrosia and Nectar. The circumjacent spirits have so pleasant embraces, as they still refresh the body, that cannot be weary. What shall I say? Am I not nonplussed, here! All things are here in an eminent formal manner. O mighty God, this world is a masterpiece of thy power, wisdom, and goodness indeed; did I never see more of thy ravishing attributes, than what is imprinted on this golden world, should I not be ravished with an eternal rapture? This is a land befitting the inhabitants, all things are ever in their May-clothing, do bloom and flourish with an eternal verdure, seeming, as it were, all to outbrave one another, in wonderful beauty and excellency: what would an earthly paradise appear here? Shall we speak of gold and gems, trampled upon by beasts? Sure the sun in its strength would blush to let forth its rays, on so beautiful a place, the least stone here would look him out of countenance: nothing in the lower world, which is not here; and nothing here, which is to be seen in the lower world. If we speak any thing in earthly idiom, it must be in perfect contradictions; all is covered over with all varieties of beds of lilies, and roses, and dropping sweet-smelling myrrh; every where the vines flourish, the mandrakes send forth and odoriferous exhalation. The pomegranates bud, the grapes and all fruit hang in goodly order; all is overflown with Ambrosia, milk and honey; all is an orchard, all a champaigne field, every place is the sunny side of the hill, and also a pleasant shadow, every place is filled with odoriferous gales; and yet there is nothing but one sweet and endless calm: the winds that blow here are like vital and animal spirits. Are they not these heart-refreshing, and soul-rejoicing breathings of the Spirit of life? All are planted with trees, every one of which doth specifically differ from one another, and bears every month, every hour, every minute, ten thousand kinds of fruits; and every fruit containeth ten thousand qualities; and every quality ten thousand virtues, and every virtue ten thousand delights, and every delight is enough to confound myriads of worlds of men and angels. All things send forth melodious notes, odoriferous perfumes, and what may charm thousands of senses, differing specifically from one another: all things here do more than contain all the virtues and excellencies of sun, moon, and stars. O what every thing is, how inconceivable, and beyond imagination! This world is all things, it is a palace, also it is a glorious and stately city, decked with the glory and comeliness of her builder; whose light is like unto a stone most precious, whose walls are high, and beautified with twelve gates, and at the gates are twelve angels: whose figure is four-square, whose circuit twelve thousand furlongs, and the height of the wall, an hundred forty-four cubits; the building thereof is of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as it were transparent glass. If the foundations thereof be of pearl, the houses, streets and walls of gold, what must the deckings of the houses be? If the ordinary stuff exceed the price of the diamond, who can weigh our most noble jewel of the New Jerusalem? Sure all the excellency of this lower universe would be of no reckoning here; yea, many worlds are not to be valued. Must not this be a glorious and delightsome city, which is immediately enlightened with the uncreated glory of JEHOVAH, and the Lamb? All the kings of the earth bring in their glory and honour hither: All other glories and excellencies are swallowed up, and concentrated here: all joys, all pleasures, all contentments, all desires are forever here."
Decide for yourself if you think a dying Christian man would be exaggerating upon his deathbed.
Link for a scanned copy of the work:
Meditations, representing a glimpse ... - Google Books
From: Meditations representing A GLIMPSE OF GLORY;
or, A gospel discovery of EMMANUEL'S LAND"
"...And of the beauty and sweetness wherewith this blessed land is adorned! Earth in its May-clothing, with its various beauties, appeared somewhat delightsome before; but all former apprehensions are swallowed up; all the senses and faculties are lost in the endless maze of infinite varieties of beauties and excellencies. Are not the eyes almost ravished from their proper orbs, by the strong attractive virtue of ravishing objects? Are they not dazzled and confounded? What varieties! What glories! What numberless numbers! Every object is enough to allure unto ravishment: but the conspiration of them all cannot be told. How are the ears charmed with numberless variety of melodious raptures! So that the ears become harmony itself. How do incessant and full gales of odoriferous exhalations perfume and fill with a passing sweetness, not only the brain, but every vein, artery and sinew: that which enters the mouth, every where, surpasseth Ambrosia and Nectar. The circumjacent spirits have so pleasant embraces, as they still refresh the body, that cannot be weary. What shall I say? Am I not nonplussed, here! All things are here in an eminent formal manner. O mighty God, this world is a masterpiece of thy power, wisdom, and goodness indeed; did I never see more of thy ravishing attributes, than what is imprinted on this golden world, should I not be ravished with an eternal rapture? This is a land befitting the inhabitants, all things are ever in their May-clothing, do bloom and flourish with an eternal verdure, seeming, as it were, all to outbrave one another, in wonderful beauty and excellency: what would an earthly paradise appear here? Shall we speak of gold and gems, trampled upon by beasts? Sure the sun in its strength would blush to let forth its rays, on so beautiful a place, the least stone here would look him out of countenance: nothing in the lower world, which is not here; and nothing here, which is to be seen in the lower world. If we speak any thing in earthly idiom, it must be in perfect contradictions; all is covered over with all varieties of beds of lilies, and roses, and dropping sweet-smelling myrrh; every where the vines flourish, the mandrakes send forth and odoriferous exhalation. The pomegranates bud, the grapes and all fruit hang in goodly order; all is overflown with Ambrosia, milk and honey; all is an orchard, all a champaigne field, every place is the sunny side of the hill, and also a pleasant shadow, every place is filled with odoriferous gales; and yet there is nothing but one sweet and endless calm: the winds that blow here are like vital and animal spirits. Are they not these heart-refreshing, and soul-rejoicing breathings of the Spirit of life? All are planted with trees, every one of which doth specifically differ from one another, and bears every month, every hour, every minute, ten thousand kinds of fruits; and every fruit containeth ten thousand qualities; and every quality ten thousand virtues, and every virtue ten thousand delights, and every delight is enough to confound myriads of worlds of men and angels. All things send forth melodious notes, odoriferous perfumes, and what may charm thousands of senses, differing specifically from one another: all things here do more than contain all the virtues and excellencies of sun, moon, and stars. O what every thing is, how inconceivable, and beyond imagination! This world is all things, it is a palace, also it is a glorious and stately city, decked with the glory and comeliness of her builder; whose light is like unto a stone most precious, whose walls are high, and beautified with twelve gates, and at the gates are twelve angels: whose figure is four-square, whose circuit twelve thousand furlongs, and the height of the wall, an hundred forty-four cubits; the building thereof is of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as it were transparent glass. If the foundations thereof be of pearl, the houses, streets and walls of gold, what must the deckings of the houses be? If the ordinary stuff exceed the price of the diamond, who can weigh our most noble jewel of the New Jerusalem? Sure all the excellency of this lower universe would be of no reckoning here; yea, many worlds are not to be valued. Must not this be a glorious and delightsome city, which is immediately enlightened with the uncreated glory of JEHOVAH, and the Lamb? All the kings of the earth bring in their glory and honour hither: All other glories and excellencies are swallowed up, and concentrated here: all joys, all pleasures, all contentments, all desires are forever here."
Decide for yourself if you think a dying Christian man would be exaggerating upon his deathbed.
Link for a scanned copy of the work:
Meditations, representing a glimpse ... - Google Books
